


Tony Stark and his Saiyan Sons

by Sendou1995



Category: Dragon Ball, Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Actual communication occurs in the MCU, Awesome Pepper Potts, Break Up, Brotherly Love, Brothers, Bruce Banner & Tony Stark Friendship, Bruce Banner Is a Good Bro, Bruce Banner is best Uncle, Don't mess with Tony's Boys, F/M, Father Figures, Father-Son Relationship, Fights, Found Family, Get Together, Gohan feels, Goten is a precious snowflake, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Other, Probable OOC moments, Protective Avengers, Protective Steve Rogers, Protective Tony Stark, Strangers to Friends to Lovers, Tags Contain Spoilers, Tony Stark Feels, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony is a good dad, Typing more tags as I go along
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-08
Updated: 2019-06-05
Packaged: 2019-06-06 15:35:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 23
Words: 91,535
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15197873
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sendou1995/pseuds/Sendou1995
Summary: Tony Stark was always certain he would never have any kids (With his crazy work schedule, and family history, he figured it was best for all parties involved) but when a twist of fate (and space-time for that matter) drops a strange (yet polite and smart) young boy and his equally strange (and is that a tail!?) baby brother on his front yard with a hellish history of their own and nowhere to go, it seems that way of thinking will have to change. Is this just the universe screwing with them all? Or was it giving them something they never knew they needed?





	1. The End of Our Old Lives

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dealing with the aftermath of the Cell Games on Gohan's mind and his family.

Chapter 1

* * *

**Location The Son Residence:**

It's been a little over a month since the newest addition to the Son family, Goten, was born. And while Chi-Chi and Gohan absolutely adore him, he is also the spitting image and a constant reminder of their beloved husband and father, Goku, who by his own choice is no longer with them.

When Gohan first broke the news of his father's fate to his mother, she was distraught. But after a while, she seemed to have accepted Goku's choice to stay in Other World, and made a decision of her own that she still hasn't told Gohan about, hoping it won't come up for the foreseeable future.

Gohan didn't share the same sentiment as his mother about Goku's decision, but he didn't say as much out loud, not wanting to upset anyone.

All of Gohan's friends and family hold Goku in such high regard, that he knew disparaging him and his choice would just upset them all. So he stays silent about his feelings, seeing it as a fitting punsihment to hold all of his anger and resentment towards Goku for his choice to not come back to life, and towards himself for not finishing Cell off as soon as he had the chance deep inside so he doesn't burden the others with his problem.

 _"Finish him now Gohan! We all know you have the power, it's time to use it!" Goku_ desperately _screams at Gohan._

_"Finish him now?" "No I think I'll wait, I'm gonna let him suffer for a little while." Gohan answers his father with a self satisfied smirk._

_'No! What are you doing!?' Gohan internally screams at himself. 'Kill Cell now! So mom can be with her husband!' 'So Goten can have a father!'_

_He watches himself relive the worst day of his life, every single second. Right up until the final moment, where Goku is standing in front of him, about to dissappear forever to make up for his child's mistake 'So I'm not responsible for destroying my family!'_

_"Goodbye my son." Goku says to Gohan and then vanishes, sacrificing himself to save the entire planet one last time._

_" **NO COME BACK!!!** " Gohan screams as he wakes up in a cold sweat with tears pouring down his face._

_Before he can go into a full blown panic attack, his attention is caught by Goten crying in the crib next to his bed._

_"I'm sorry squirt, Did I wake you up?" Gohan asks as he scoops Goten up and begins rocking him in his arms to try and calm him down._

_"Uhh...wuuh" (The noises I assume babies make)_

_"Yeah, tell me all about it buddy." Gohan says with a small smile starting to form._

_"Gohan are you awake?" He hears his mother ask as she comes into the room."Oh sweetheart what's the matter!?"_

_At first Gohan assumes her second question is to Goten, but then he realizes he got so distracted tending to his baby brother that he forgot to wipe the tears from his eyes._

_"Oh nothing to worry about mom, just a bad dream." He rushes to explain, not wanting her to worry about him unnecessarily._

_Chi-Chi's expression changes into a look of sad understanding "Was it about your father?"_

_Not too surprised that his mom had caught on, Gohan decides to answer honestly "Yes."_

_"Gohan I know it's hard, but you know you can talk to me if it gets to be too much... you know that right?" Chi-Chi tells her oldest son while trying to give him a reassuring smile._

_Gohan shifts Goten to one arm so he can wipe the remaining tears off of his face, then gives his best attempt at his father's trademark Son grin to his mother 'This is punishment for my failure, it's my burden alone to bear mom, so please don't waste any concern on me.' He thinks to himself while he replies "Of course I know that mom...I'm ok..really, the nightmare just caught me off guard since it's been so long since the last time I had one. That's all, I swear."_

_While Chi-Chi is sure her eldest isn't being entirely truthful with her and is about to call him on it, but she gets sidetracked when Goten starts fussing again "Wuh..wah..ahh!"_

_"Aww, is someone not feeling too good?" Chi-Chi coos at Goten and begins to reach to take him from Gohan's arm, when he suddenly backs away._

_Slightly surprised, she tells him "It's ok honey, I've got him. You just get yourself a drink of water and try to relax ok?"_

_Not wanting to be on his own right now, Gohan responds to his mother's sorta but not really a request with "It's ok mom, I've already got him. Just go back to bed, alright?"_

_"Gohan, don't over exert yourself. I know your trying to put on a brave face for me, but your not even 12 yet. So just allow yourself be a kid and let the adults handle this kind of stuff, ok?" Chi-Chi pleads with Gohan._

_"Please mom, looking out for and taking care of Goten is my job as his big brother right?....this'll help me relax more than anything else could...we'll be alright, ok?" He asks._

_Just like that, Chi-Chi's resolve wavers and she gives in "Alright, alright, you got me. Just try to get yourself to sleep after you put him back down. You got that mister?" She answers him while giving a mock stern glare, trying to lighten the mood._

_With a more genuine smile, Gohan gives her a mock salute "Ma'am yes Ma'am."_

_With a light chuckle Chi-Chi heads back to her room " Ok, I'll see you two for breakfast bright and early. Goodnight boys."_

_"Goodnight mom."_

_"Ok Goten, let's get you all settled." Gohan says as he lightly tickles his brother's tummy with his free hand._

_Goten squeals in delight then Gohan checks his diaper and sighs in relief 'Clean, thank goodness.' "If your clean I bet that means your hungry huh bubba?"_

_Goten let's out another bubbly laugh in response."Yeah I thought so." So after giving Goten 3 bottles of formula 'Like father like son with that saiyan appetite.' Gohan is putting his brother back in his crib and watches him drift back to sleep._

_"I'm so sorry Goten." "You don't have your dad to be here for you because of me." Gohan whispers with tears threatening to spill over again. "But I swear I'll always be here for you no matter what." He promises his brother, before going back to his own bed and into another fitful sleep._

**The Next Morning** **:**

"Gohan get up, its time for breakfast." Gohan hears as he slowly wakes up.

"I'm up mom." He answers loud enough for his mother hear, then gets out of bed and sees that Goten isn't in his crib.

'She must have came and got him before he fully woke up so I could sleep in.' He thinks as he goes to wash up and get ready for the day.

As Gohan enters the kitchen, he sees Goten in his highchair, happily mumbling to himself while Chi-Chi is cooking enough food to feed a small army (or 2 growing half saiyans).

"Morning Mom, Hey Goten." Gohan greets his family.

"Good morning, are you feeling better Gohan?" Chi-Chi asks her eldest, hoping he got enough sleep after his nightmare.

"Yeah Mom, I feel great, thanks for letting me sleep in." Gohan answers with a smile, trying to reassure her. 

"That's good to hear." Chi-Chi replies, deciding to believe Gohan for now. "How about we go see your grandfather after breakfast? "

Relieved for the change in subject and genuinely happy with her suggestion, Gohan answers "That sounds great Mom."

"Ahh ahh wuuhh." Goten mumbles aloud 

"Looks like someone agrees with you." Chi-Chi says between little laughs 

"Yeah I guess so." Gohan replies while ruffling Gotens hair.

They resume their breakfast and then head out to enjoy the day, not knowing the pain that was about to befall them all.

**Location Ox Kingdom:**

Chi-Chi, Gohan, and Goten meet up with Ox King at his home, then decide to go on a hike and sight see around the nearby mountain trails.

Gohan was carrying Goten a little ways ahead of his mother and grandfather, enjoying the sights and time with his family "Isn't it so nice and beautiful here Goten?" Gohan asks his brother.

"Ahh..uh..bwuh." Goten mumbles in response to hearing his name.

"Gohan seems to be in good spirits today." Ox points out to his daughter.

"That's a relief, I'd hoped this would cheer him up after last night." Chi-Chi replies to her father.

"What happened last night Chi-Chi?" Ox asks.

"Oh dad, he's having nightmares again...he still feels guilty about what happened with Goku, I know it. I just can't get him to talk about it." She answers, dejected.

"That poor boy, I wish he could forgive himself and realize he isn't to blame for anything that happened." Ox says with a sad look in his eyes.

"Yeah, I was hoping this family time would help him put those bad memories out of his mind, if even for a little bit." Chi-Chi explains. 

"Hey Mom, Grandpa, I think I found a good spot to stop for lunch. You brought some food right?" Gohan shouts to his family.

"We're coming, and yes I brought food." Chi-Chi replies.

"Great, I'm starving, and I bet you are too, aren't you Goten?" He asks his brother while he lightly tosses him up in the air and catches him.

"Haahahaaa!" Goten exclaims in joy. 

They got everything set up, enjoyed their lunch and small talk together, but as the hours passed by it started to get late. So they decided to go back.

They were just about ready to head home when...it happened. 

"Gohan, we're all packed up and ready to go. Can you get Goten please? " Chi-Chi asks.

"Sure thing Mom." Gohan replies, a little reluctant to see such a good day end, but feeling much better compared to last night, so he was content for the moment.

As Gohan went to pick Goten up, he noticed the little guy had his tail in his mouth "Come on Goten, that can't be sanitary heh heh." He mock scolds his brother as he scoops him up and reaches to get Goten's tail out of his mouth. But after he does, Goten gets a very strange look on his face, then bursts into tears.

'Goten's energy just spiked really high for a second there, what's going on?' Gohan thinks to himself as he tries to sooth his hysterical baby brother.

"It's ok Goten, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you."

Gohan then suddenly feels a dangerous, evil presence right below where he and his family are standing.

As the ground begins to violently shake, Gohan screams at his family " **Mom, Grandpa, run now!!** "

The ground bursts open and out comes a familiar face Gohan thought he'd never see again.

"B..b...Broly!?" Gohan stutters out in shock while looking back down at his baby brother for an instant, wondering 'Did Goten sense him while I couldn't? Or was his reaction just a coincidence? If it's the former, how could he do that?'

" **Raahhhhhhh!!!** " Broly screams as his power starts to erupt from him.

Snapping out of his trance Gohan quickly powers up to Super Saiyan and flash steps (I know, I know, that's Bleach, but that's just what I'm going to call it when a character flashes from one spot to another.) over to his mother and grandfather and hands Goten to the former.

"Mom, Grandpa, take Goten and get as far away from here as you can now!" Gohan orders as he takes a defensive stance, getting between Broly and his family.

"But Gohan, who is that? What's going on!?" Chi-Chi frantically asks.

"He's an old enemy we fought before the Cell Games that I thought Dad had killed. I have no idea how he's alive, or how he ended up here on earth, but he is and you're not safe here. So go, now! Grandpa get everyone in the kingdom evacuated as soon as possible, please!" Gohan begs them. 

"Ok Gohan, we'll get everyone nearby out of here. Just be careful." Ox King answers Gohan as he grabs Chi-Chi and starts backing up at the same time Broly looks down at them and sees Goten in Chi-Chi's arms.

" **KAKAROT!!!** " He screams as he charges toward them, only to get punched in the face and launched in the oppisite direction by Gohan.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine. Piccolo and Vegeta will sense what's happening and come to help. I can hold him off until they get here, so hurry and go!" Gohan says, not noticing a huge energy blast Broly shot in time to dodge or block it.

Gohan gets nailed in the back by it and crashes to the ground, forming a small crater in the ground surrounding him.

" **Gohan!** " Chi-Chi fearfully shouts at her son as she goes running to him.

'Damn it! How did I not sense that coming!? What's wrong with me!?' Gohan thinks to himself while powering up to Super Saiyan 2.

"Mom get out of here, your just distracting me! I can handle this, I'm a lot stronger than I was the last time I fought him, I'll be fine, now go!" Gohan commands her, then shoots off towards Broly as he's transforming into his Legendary Super Saiyan form.

They collide, and start throwing multiple, rapid barrages of punches and kicks at each other. 

"Chi-Chi come on, we have to go!" Ox begs his daughter while his younger grandson is crying in his arms.

"No Dad, I wasn't there for him during his fight with Cell, so I'm not going to leave Gohan to face this all alone!" She proclaims and refuses to budge as she watches the sky and listens to the shockwaves of the battle, praying for her son's safety and victory.

"I don't know how you survived the fight with my dad or how you ended up on earth, but I am not going to let you roam free to hurt and destroy everything! I'm going to finish you off once and for all Broly!" Gohan exclaims after several exchanges, seemingly starting to push Broly back while dodging a punch and kneeing him in the gut.

"KA...KAKAROT!!!"  Broly yells while shooting an energy blast in the direction of Gohan's family.

" **NO!** " The young saiyan shouts, realizing where the blast is heading, Gohan dashes there hoping to intercept it only to be cut off by Broly.

" **GET OUT OF MY WAY!** " Gohan screams as he fires a Masenko at the lunatuc, directing the wave to send Broly upward. He then continues his way to his family, only to hear the explosion.

" **MOM, GRANDPA, GOTEN!!!!!** " Gohan desperately calls for his family as he lands on the smoldering crater where just minutes ago they were all laughing together without a care in the world.

"G..Go...Gohan" A faint voice calls out.

Gohan turns to the direction it came from and to his horror, his grandfather is on the ground, not moving. He senses no life from him, and sees his mother barely clinging to life, tightly curled in on herself.

" **Mom! Grandpa is....'hic' Grandpa is dead, and your hurt...I'm 'hic' I'm so sorry, I couldn't stop it in time, and, and Goten...whu...where is he?** " Gohan manages to say between sobs, he then watches as his mother uncurls herself, revealing a very hysterical, yet intact Goten wailing in her arms.

"Your..grandfather, when..he..he saw the blast coming, gave him to me, then moved in front of me to...shield us, and I curled in on myself as.....tightly as I could, to make sure Goten was...wa.....was safe. Is....is he ok?" Chi-chi asks.

Gohan frantically picks Goten up and checks his brother over for injuries, momentarily relieved to see the wailing boy was, while clearly terrified, relatively unharmed.

"He..he's ok Mom, he's ok." Gohan answers his mother.

'She's not gonna make it!' 'It's all my fault!' 'If I had noticed Broly when Goten did I could have grabbed and flew them all out of here and dropped them somewhere safer! No! No! I should have done that anyway, I screwed up again!' He thinks to himself.

"I'm so so sorry Mom, but I promise I'll get rid of that monster, and get the Dragon Balls together to bring you and Grandpa back as soon as I can!" Gohan swears to his mother. 

"No...don't....don't bring me back." Chi-Chi tells her son.

"What....what are talking about Mom?" Gohan asks, horrified and hoping he just heard her wrong.

"I don't want to be brought back when I die.....I....I decided right before Goten was born." Chi-Chi answers her son.

"Mom wha.....why would you do that?" Gohan asks, trying to make sense of what his mom is telling him, while thinking to himself 'No this can't be happening...not again!!'

"Why wouldn't you want to come back?" Gohan begs Chi-Chi to explain.

"I miss your father Gohan. I miss him so much, and I knew when I died and I saw him, I wouldn't be able to handle being separated from him again by being brought back to life....I'm so sorry sweetie, I didn't think it would happen this soon but...maybe it's fate that it is happening now....please bring your Grandfather back, but let me stay with Goku in Other World?" Chi-Chi pleads with her oldest son.

"But Mom, what about Goten?" Gohan asks her.

 **'What about me?'** Gohan thinks about adding but hesitates.

"He'll be fine, he has you and he'll have your Grandfather....you'll have your Grandfather." She answers, then adds "Just protect and watch over your brother, and make sure you both live great, joy filled lives. Remeber, your Father and I will always be watching over you both. I love you Gohan, I love you Goten, so much.....goodbye." Chi-Chi says, then her eyes close and Gohan feels her energy signature dissappear. 

" **No....No...NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!** " Gohan screams, clutching Goten to himself with tears beginning to pour from his eyes and his power starting to skyrocket even higher than it did when he fought Cell.

He then senses Broly heading towards them.

"I'm so so sorry Goten, because of me you lost both of your parents before you even got to know them." Gohan apologizes, as he puts Goten down next to their mother's body, and creates seperate energy barriers for his fallen family members, and an extra powerful one for his last surviving family member.

" **But I Promise That From Now Until The End, I Will Protect You!!!** " Gohan declares, as he screams in agony, rage, regret, and despair.

His power kept increasing and his hair started to grow longer and longer, until it was past his waist, his eyebrows vanished making his forehead and eye ridges appear larger, and revealing a more prominent brow. (This description of Super Saiyan 3 is mostly from the wiki)

He sees Broly coming in fast from the distance, charging another blast, far stronger than the ones he'd unleashed earleir.

Gohan begins charging a Kamehameha wave in response

"I wish I could blame you for this, but I know it wouldn't be true." "I know it's my fault my mom and grandpa died, just like my dad's death was my fault, I'm what's wrong, I failed him and now I've failed the both of them as well, but **FROM NOW ON** ,  **ABSOLUTELY NOTHING WILL KEEP ME FROM HONORING MY PROMISE TO PROTECT MY BROTHER, NOT YOU OR WHATEVER OTHER HELL FATE PLANS ON THROWING OUR WAY!!! DO YOU HEAR ME BROLY!!!???** Gohan screams at the top of his lungs to Broly, who simply replies with " **DIE!!!** " Then fires his blast at the same time Gohan launches his Kamehameha wave.

The shockwaves of the resulting beam struggle cause everything around them to violently shake, the surrounding mountains to crumble away, and the clouds in the sky to dissapate while Gohan is desperately trying to win out against Broly.

He hears Goten start crying behind him "Ahhh...uhwahh...naahhh..wahhh!!!!" 

"It's gonna be okay little buddy, don't worry." Gohan tells his brother, hoping to reassure the terrified infant.

He then senses something strange at the center of the energy collision.

'What's happening? It feels like our attacks are being sucked into something.' He wonders, then sees a third light starting to emit from his and Broly's beam collision.

Suddenly both fighters attacks dissappear for a moment, then detonate. The resulting blinding light from the explosion causes Gohan to close his eyes, and when he opens them, he sees what looks like a giant black hole floating in midair, and for a few seconds it does nothing, but then suddenly, an invisible force starts pulling him towards it.

"I can't....I can't fight the pull this thing is giving off, How is this possible? What's happening!?" Gohan shouts, realizing that whatever that hole is, he was getting pulled into it no matter how hard he struggled. So before he lost his footing, he used his energy to pull the small barrier bubble holding his brother to himself, refusing to be separated from what was left of his family.

"It's ok Goten, I promise you that wherever we end up I'll be with you the whole way! We're gonna make it somehow!" Gohan swears to his brother as he wraps his arms around the energy bubble protecting the most precious person in his life while they get swallowed up by the hole, not noticing they aren't the only ones being pulled into it.

There is nothing but darkness surrounding Gohan, the only bit of light coming from anywhere is emanating from his aura and the energy bubble around Goten.

'It feels like my body is being pulled in every direction!' 'It's taking everything I have to not be ripped apart and keep Goten's bubble from disappearing!' 'But I won't stop, no matter what!' 'I'm doing this for him, I'll endure anything for his sake, this is nothing I cant take on!'

Gohan suffers through this agony for what feels like an eternity, his power drastically dropping from the strain of keeping his body and Goten's energy bubble from being torn apart.

He reverts back to his base form, begins losing consciousness, and just when it seems like this will be the Son brothers' end, suddenly all of the strain instantly vanishes as Gohan falls and lands on solid ground, bloody and ragged, but still in one piece.

He looks down at Goten in time to see the bubble fade, and Goten's sleeping form softly fall on his chest, tears still spilling from his closed eyes, face a little swollen and red from crying for so long, body covered in dust, small scratches, and a little bit of blood (thankfully not his own) but still alive.

Gohan is so relieved Goten is alive but also too busy checking him over to make sure none of the baby's injuries are serious, that he doesn't notice that someone's approaching them until he hears a man yell "My God kid, what happened to you!?" 

"Jesus Tony! Either call an ambulance or get these poor boys inside the lab's med wing, hurry!" a woman hysterically shouts at the man now identified as 'Tony'.

The man carefully gathers the boys into his arms while he replies to the woman "Right...right..Pepper go get all the first aid kits you can find in the house."

The young saiyan can tell he's about to pass out, so he clutches Goten tighter to himself in response and asks the strangers "Wh...where are we?"

The man, 'Tony', answers "You're in Malibu kiddo." 

'Malibu...I've...never heard of....' are Gohan's last thoughts before he finally loses consciousness.


	2. Worried Curiosity and Grim Understanding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony and Pepper wanting answers for what happened to these boys use one of Tony's experimental devices to see into the older one's memories. (B.A.R.F I know it's too early, I don't think it even works like this, and it's a total asspull but I feel this is better than just waiting for Gohan to wake up and tell his story.) What they see will change many many things

Chapter 2

* * *

**Location Tony Stark's Maibu Home, 6 months before the events of Ironman:**

Tony and Pepper sprint to the lab as quickly as their legs could carry them. 

"JARVIS, get a full-body vitals scan ready and give me an inventory on all medical supplies we've got in the house!" Tony orders his A.I friend as he lays the very wounded boy clutching to himself a baby with a similarly weird haircut as the boy's own on his lab cot (Which he probably uses more than his actual bed.)

"Right away sir." The faithful disembodied voice replies to his creator.

As the Just.A.Rather.Very.Intelligent.System lists off all the medical supplies they have, a blue light coming from the ceiling envelops the boys while a hologram containing a chart of the damage these kids endured appears next to Tony.

"Oh my god Tony! Oh my god! Do you think they're going to make it!? Should we call 911!?" Pepper asks her boss/friend while pacing the lab, trying to keep her composure.

"Oh yeah, I'm sure that would go well. Hello operator? A what I could only describe as a portal opened up in my front yard, and a passed out, grade school kid, covered in tattered clothes and blood holding a baby to himself fell out of it before it vanished into thin air! Please send help?" Tony snarks at her.

Seeing Pepper's worried expression, Tony quickly adds "Calm down Pep, me and JARVIS will do everything we can, isn't that right J?" hoping to keep his friend from panicking.

"Absolutely sir. Please don't fret Ms. Potts, according to my scans, while I'm not sure how the older boy survived what ever it is that happened to him, his life is not in danger. And as for the infant, other than a rather urgent need of a changing, I'd say he's unharmed." JARVIS informs.

"See Pepper Pot? This kid's tougher than a tank. We'll patch him up and go from there, ok? Don't break down on me now Pep, you can't leave me to change a diaper. There needs to be at least one responsible adult here and you know better than anyone that I don't exactly fit the description." Tony half jokes, trying to diffuse the tension.

"Hehehe you got that right." Pepper half jokes back, feeling slightly better. She then immediately goes into 'Super P.A Mode' and starts getting down to business. "Ok Tony, I'm going to go into town and get the supplies we're going to need as discreetly as possible. While I'm gone, you clean and dress the boy's injuries and clean the baby off as best you can." 

"But Pep-" Tony tries to interject, hoping to avoid baby duty (In more ways than one) 

"No buts Tony, this is serious and we need to act fast!" Pepper orders, already heading out.

"Your just trying to avoid the baby duties...pun intended, aren't you Ms. Potts?" Tony accuses. 

"I have no idea what you're talking about Mr. Stark." She answers back with a smirk as she exits the lab.

As if timing it with Peppers departure, the baby wakes up and begins wailing.

Tony walks over to the 2 boys, moves the older one's arms to his sides and hesitantly grabs the baby under his arms and lifts him up, keeping him at arm's length.

"Umm...there there little fella, don't cry...please?" Tony desperately pleads, trying his best at a comforting voice.

" **Ahhh! WuhWuh! Wahhhhhh!** " the baby responds.

"May I say sir, that you are a natural with children?" JARVIS playfully jabs at his creator.

"JARVIS, instead of sassing me, could you please be helpful?" Tony asks, not appreciating the humor right now, but then looks back to the baby, noticing he has stopped crying and is now looking up at the ceiling, seemingly looking for where JARVIS' voice came from.

"My sincerest apologies sir." JARVIS replies, and Tony watches the baby startle in response to hearing the A.I's voice, but not seeing another person in the room for it to belong to.

The baby then looks Tony right in the eye and mumbles "Uhhh..wawuh?" as if asking for Tony to explain.

'Oh my god I think my heart just melted.' Tony thinks to himself with an amused expression on his face as he carries the baby to the lab's restroom and explains "That's my invisible friend, his name is JARVIS. Don't worry, most of the time he's cool, when he's not being a sassy pants."

"Thank you for your glowing praise sir." JARVIS responds to Tony's comment.

"See what I mean?" Tony fake whispers to the baby while telling JARVIS "That's enough attitude from you mister, so if you would, please bring up a how to video on cleaning babies?"

"Queuing up youtube now sir." ( I know youtube was fairly young back then and I'm not sure if it had evolved to this point yet. It's just simpler, also I'm not certain if I'm using the word queuing correctly but it sounds right and I'm too tired to check lol.) 

After managing to clean the baby without freaking out when he saw the tail, and disposing of the 'toxic waste' that was the baby's messy diaper, Tony heads back to the cot to tend to the older boy. 

"Ok little buddy, please stay here while I check on your hopefully brother not father, alright?" Tony asks the infant wrapped in a towel as he places him on the floor.

"Dum-E, you are on baby monitor duty, and by that I mean JARVIS, make sure Dum-E doesn't blast the little guy with a fire extinguisher or roll over him while I'm working on the bigger little guy, and also tell me if he starts to crawl around." 

"Of course sir." JARVIS answers, then after Dum-E gives a series of sad, dejected beeps, adds."But I believe you hurt Dum-E's feelings."

"Sorry Dum-E, your great at some things, I just don't think infantcare is one of them, ok? Don't worry bud, no one holds a candle to your fire dousing skills, cheer up." Tony tries to reassure the bot while cleaning and stitching up the older boy's wounds.

After hearing some upbeat beeps, he fully focuses on the boy in front of him "Boy, I bet you have a hell of a story to tell kid."

"You....'cough'..you have no idea mister." The thought to be unconscious boy replies.

"Jesus kid! Are..are you feeling ok? What happened to you?" Tony asks.

"I don't think you'd believe me if I told you." The boy answers, then with a horrified look spreading on his face, he bolts upward, nearly colliding heads with Tony, and desperately screams " **GOTEN!!! GOTEN Where are you!!!?** "

Again as if timed, Pepper comes back in the lab with Happy in tow, carrying much more stuff then they probably needed at the moment.

"Whoa whoa whoa, easy kid. If that little bundle of mumbles with the odd haircut and a tail is Goten, then he's fine. He's sitting right over there, see for yourself. But don't put any more strain on your wounds, ok? Tony says while moving to the side to point to the baby.

"'Bundle of mumbles'?" Pepper repeats with a smirk.

"A....a tail?" Happy questioningly utters.

"Be silent peanut gallery and let the boy see his baby...?" Tony responds to his friends' comments while hoping to get an answer to his open ended question.

"Bro...brother, Goten's my brother sir." The boy responds, while completely ignoring his own injuries by attempting to stand up to go to him.

Pepper seeing this, drops her bags, speed walks to the baby, lifts him up, and closes the distance to the boy so he doesn't strain himself. "See? He's alright...and clean for that matter, Tony Stark I am so proud of you." Pepper teases, hoping to lighten the mood.

"Please Peppy-Pie, I'm not so heartless as to leave 2 kids in such a state, give me some credit." Tony says, playing along "Besides, the little guy worms his way in pretty fast. Trust me, give it 30 minutes and you and Happy will be wrapped around his little finger, isn't that right..uh? Oh god I still don't know your name kiddo." Tony says looking at the boy sitting on the cot.

"Gohan sir, my name is Gohan." He answers Tony while reaching to take Goten from Pepper.

"Well Gohan, I'm Tony Stark. This lovely lady next to me is my amazing personal assistant and friend Virginia Potts, usually referred to as Pepper. The big guy back there is my driver, bodyguard, and good buddy Happy Hogan. Oh..and to rap up the introductory roll call, JARVIS, Dum-E, say hello to Gohan and Goten."

Gohan jumps in surprise, seeing a robot roll towards them making a bunch of whirs and beeps then hears "Hello young sir Gohan, young sir Goten." 

"Where did that voice come from?" Gohan asks.

"That's JARVIS. Don't worry, he's not invisible, he's an A.I, but don't let the little guy hear I fibbed about the invisible part." Tony explains, while poking Goten's belly, getting a bubbly laugh out of the baby.

"A.I, as in Artificial Intelligence?" Gohan asks. 

"That's right buddy boy, I made him myself." Tony proudly answers.

"Wow, that's amazing sir." Gohan says, then adds "I don't think even Bulma has done that yet."

"Who's Bulma Gohan?" Pepper asks.

"Bulma Briefs, the head of the Capsule Corporation."

"What's 'Capsule Corporation'?" Tony asks while trying not to laugh at the name 'Bulma Briefs'.

"What do you mean? It's the biggest worldwide technology conglomerate in earth's history, how could you not have heard of them? I'm honestly surprised they haven't tried to recruit you." Gohan explains.

"Well I don't know what earth you're talking about bucko, but this earth's largest worldwide technology conglomerate (Again not sure if correct just sounds right.) is Stark Industries." Tony tells Gohan.

"'Stark Industries'? I don't understand, how could that be? You said this is earth, right?" Gohan asks.

"Yeah it is. I'm not sure what's going on here kid, but maybe if you can explain some things, it might help us start to figure this all out." Tony responds while bringing up a holo-screen and showing Gohan the footage of him and Goten falling from the portal after it appeared on Tony's property, then quickly vanished.

"Like I said earlier, you probably wouldn't believe me if I told you.....and it's a lot to explain....and I don't know if I can say it all in a way you could understand, I'm....I'm." Gohan manages to get out before the reality of everything that just happened hits him hard, bringing tears to his eyes.

"Oh sweetheart, don't worry. Whatevers going on, we'll help you get it figured out. Won't we Happy, JARVIS, Tony?" and seeing the bot start to droop in dejection Pepper adds "And you too Dum-E." Who then rolls around the lab excitedly. 

"Definitely."

"Of course Ms. Potts, Young sir Gohan."

"You got that right." Happy, Jarvis, and Tony respectively respond.

"I appreciate everything you all have done for Goten and me, but I can't impose any more than I already have. Goten and this situation are my responsibility, I'll figure something out." Gohan says, hoping to dissuade these kind people from potentially putting themselves in harm's way for his sake.

"Sorry buddy boy, but you and that monkey-tailed little guy sitting in your lap, who is chewing on said tail by the way, aren't going anywhere on your own for the foreseeable future." Tony states to the room at large.

'Not a sentence I ever imagined I'd have to say, but here I am.' He thinks to himself. 

"But sir I...." Gohan tries to protest while looking down at Goten, beginning to reach to pull his brother's tail out of his mouth, when his mind flashes back to everything that happened the last time he and Goten were in this position and flinches, he moves his hand up to cover his mouth to contain a sob.

"Hey, hey, Gohan it's ok. I'm sorry kid, but you need to rest, recover. And even if I was cool with you and Goten just walking out of here to try to solve this by yourself, which I am definitely not just to be clear, I'm sure Pepper, JARVIS, Happy, and even Dum-E here would rip me several new ones if I ever even hinted that was a possibility, so do us all a favor kid and just lay down, alright?" Tony explains.

Pepper then declares "Tony's absolutely right Gohan, including the as he put it, 'Several torn new ones' he'd receive over thinking about letting you and that precious baby brother of yours leave this house in the shape your in. So please, just talk to us and I'm sure we can help you." 

"Trust me on this kid, don't try to change their minds. I've known these 2 for a long time, and they will just dig their heels in more and more until you give in, so just make it easier on yourself." Happy chips in.

"He's Right." Tony and Pepper agree with Happy in unison.

Seeing that there's no talking any of them out their decision, Gohan replies "I....I..thank you, all of you, but I still don't know how to explain everything in a way that'll make sense to you."

"Actually, I might have a solution to that conundrum kiddo." Tony responds, placing a hand on Gohan's shoulder and giving him what he hoped was a reassuring smile.

"Wha...what would that be si-...I mean Tony?" Gohan asks.

"I'll show you. JARVIS, bring up the B.A.R.F project." Tony orders.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't intend for this to be a 2 parter but it did. I hope you all enjoy


	3. Worried Curiosity and Grim Understanding part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gohan's story is revealed to Tony, Pepper, and Happy.

Chapter 3 

* * *

"Umm.. Tony? What is the B.A.R.F project?" Gohan asks, wondering 'Does that word mean something else here than it does on my earth?'

"Well kiddo, it's a sort of side project I've been working on to help people deal with traumatic memories." Tony answers.

"Traumatic memories?" Gohan queries.

"Ya, you see, when soldiers come back home from war, more often than not they end up with something called Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD for short, which means they are suffering from memories of things that happened to them or things they had to do while fighting. I'm using soldiers as an example but they aren't the only ones susceptible to it, PTSD is something anyone who suffers a traumatic experience can go through." Tony explains then adds.

"Binarily Augmented Retro-Framing, or B.A.R.F. – God, I gotta work on that acronym is an extremely costly method of hijacking the hippocampus... to clear those traumatic memories."

"Ok, but how does it work? And how can it help me explain everything you'll need to know?" Gohan asks.

"The B.A.R.F. relies on an implant installed on a pair of glasses that connects with the user's hippocampus, allowing it to find a certain traumatic memory and alter it before projecting that memory onto an external infrastructure. Through the altered projection, the user is able to successfully re-experience and hopefully work through overcoming traumatic experiences. Though for our current purpose we can skip the altering memories part and instead of having to just explain everything, we'll all be able to see it." Tony answers. 

"Wow, that's amazing Tony! I don't think even Bulma could make something like that, and she's built space ships, gravity chambers, and other cool stuff." Gohan excitedly explains.

"Well Gohan, I'll definitely want to meet this 'Bulma' and science it up with her at some point." Tony replies.

"Tony, do you have everything you need to get this B.A.R.F up and running now?" Pepper asks.

"Pretty much Pep, I'll just need a little bit of time to get everything ready." Tony answers.

"Great, now that we've got a plan, Gohan, let's get you and little Goten upstairs to get you both dressed and fed. Is that alright with you?" Pepper asks.

Gohan looks down at himself and Goten, and realizes his clothes are barley holding together, not covering much at all, and Goten is just wrapped in a towel.

Blushing, he replies "That sounds nice, thank you Pepper."

"Of course sweetheart. Can you walk, or do you need Happy to carry you up?" Pepper asks, checking to see if the boy is pushing himself too much. 

"Oh, don't worry, I'm feeling much better. I can manage." Gohan tries to reassure her.

"Ok, but if I see you trying to 'tough it out' unnecessarily I will snatch that baby and have Happy scoop you up so you can take it easy. You hear me?" Pepper matter of factly states with a 'No Nonsense' look.

"Ye..yes Ma'am." Gohan answers while straightening his posture and thinking to himself 'She's almost as scary as Mom, or Bulma..I'd better stay on her good side.'

Tony and Happy wince in unison and give Gohan sympathetic looks, hoping to ease the boy's wise fear and comprehension of the patented 'Don't Question Pepper or else! stare.'

Seeing the men's reactions, Gohan comes to the realization 'I guess Pepper is the one who's really in charge.'

"Alright, good boy." Pepper replies, giving Gohan a sweet smile.

Tony gets to work while Pepper, Happy, and the boys head upstairs. Remembering the horrified look Gohan had on his face when he didn't know where Goten was, and how casually he dismissed his own wellbeing, Tony silently promises "Don't worry kid, we'll do everything we possibly can to figure this out, I swear."

Without being asked or saying anything, JARVIS brings up a holo-screen showing the live footage of the group who just left the lab nearby as not to distract his creator but loud enough that he can hear them in the background. 

**With Pepper, Happy, Gohan, and Goten:**

Gohan manages to get upstairs on his own feet, then follows Pepper and Happy to a living room and sits down on a couch (Pepper's Orders) while she and Happy bring out some of the clothes they got so Gohan can pick something for himself and Goten to wear.

"Ok Gohan, pick whatever you like and get dressed, and if you need help with that or dressing Goten please call for me, Happy, or ask JARVIS to tell us." "While your doing that, me and Happy will be in the kitchen putting the food we got up and making something, if you have any preference please let me know." Pepper tells him.

"Of course. Again, I can't tell you how grateful I am for everything your all doing for me and Goten." Gohan replies.

"Think nothing of it sweetheart, it's the right thing to do." Pepper says.

"Well still, thank you. As for food, I'm not picky, anything will be fine, but just to warn you I can pack a lot of food down in one meal, so please make plenty so everyone gets their fill." Gohan informs.

"Sure thing Gohan. Also, does Goten eat solid foods yet? How old is he? How old are you for that matter?" Pepper asks back to back.

"Sometimes he does but he likes bottles too. He's about 7 weeks old and I'm 11 years old." Gohan answers. 

"Wait, only 7 weeks and he can already sit up on his own and has teeth?" Pepper double checks to make sure she heard Gohan right.

"Yeah, saiyan babies develop in all areas faster than full human babies." Gohan explains. (I assume anyway)

"'Saiyan'?" Pepper asks, confused.

"'Full human'?" Happy asks, going a little pale in the face.

"Oh shoot, I'm sorry about that. Dont worry, hopefully I'll be able to clearly explain all that once Tony gets his B.A.R.F set up." Gohan rushes to reassure them, then grabs a bag with clothes with one hand while holding Goten in his other arm then asks "Is there somewhere I can go to change Goten and myself?"

Snapping out of it, Pepper answers "There's a bathroom down the hall."

Gohan heads that way and enters the bathroom, then closes the door behind him. And when he really looks at the room, he exclaims "Oh my gosh, Goten, this bathroom is bigger than our bedroom back home. Tony must be as rich as Bulma, maybe even richer, if that's even possible heh heh."

"Ahh..bluh." Goten chips in.

Gohan quickly looks through his options and decides on a plain white t-shirt and black shorts, then looks through the clothes for Goten and is very amused at the colorful onesies with little cartoon decorations.

"Well Goten, what do you think? Do you like green with purple dinosaurs, or light blue with a yellow star on the front and the sun on the back?" Gohan asks his brother.

"Ahhh..buh..buh..bwuu" Goten responds reaching for the blue one.

"Heh, good choice buddy." Gohan says with a smile.

He gets Goten in a diaper then is about to put the onesie on him when he realizes "That's right, your gonna need a hole in the back for your tail." Gohan tells his brother, and not wanting to look for scissors decides to form a small energy blade on the tip of a finger and cuts holes in all the onesies in the bag, then dresses Goten in the one he 'picked'.

"Ok Goten, time for some food." Gohan informs his brother.

While Goten gives off a happy squeal at the mention of food, the older boy proceeds to where he senses Pepper and Happy, and finds himself in the kitchen.

"Well don't you look nice?" Pepper says to Gohan, then seeing Goten 'almost' squeals (And anyone saying anything differently is lying and will suffer the wrath of Pepper Potts) "Aren't you the most adorable thing in the world!?" She exclaims while plucking Goten out of Gohan's arms and starts cooing at the baby.

Gohan, completely stunned by the surprising turn of events just watches as Goten laughs and mumbles at the woman holding him.

"Don't question it kiddo, I knew it wouldn't take long for Pep to fall in love with the little monkey. And as always, I was right." Everyone in the kitchen hears Tony say then turn to see him in the room holding a pair of glasses in his hands. 

"Oh hush Mr. Stark!" Pepper snarks with a small blush on her face.

"Apologies Ms. Potts." Tony snarks back with a smirk.

"You finished already Tony?" Gohan asks.

"Yep, I had most of the ground work already laid out so it didn't take long to wrap it up. Also, your certainly looking much better Gohan. And you Goten, will be lucky if Pep ever puts you down." Tony replies jokingly.

"Thank you Tony. And I wouldn't worry about Goten, he seems content to live in Pepper's arms." Gohan replies back, trying to join in on the jokes.

"Well as fun as that would be, how about we have some dinner then get to buissnes, alright?" Pepper asks, handing Goten back to Gohan, then goes to get plates and cutlery ready. 

Everyone else agrees and they sit down together for a rather strange meal.

After they finish eating, Tony, Pepper, and Happy are all a little stunned by how much food the boys could put away.

"Dang kid, where do you put it all?" Tony asks.

"Sorry, it's just our saiyan metabolism requires a lot of food." Gohan explains, then winces realizing he said 'saiyan' again.

"I'm not sure what a 'saiyan' is, but don't stress over it kid, we'll know what we need to soon enough, right?" Tony replies, trying to put Gohan at ease. 

"Thanks Tony, all of you, for everything. But before we start this I want to warn you that some of the things your about to see will probably scare you, maybe even make you sick to your stomachs. So I'll understand that afterwards, if you want me to leave, I will. And there won't be any hard feelings." Gohan tells everyone, then is caught off guard when Tony lightly smacks him on the back of his head.

"Tony!" Pepper shouts, surprised at the man.

"Sorry Pep. But kid, unless you spent your spare time burning down orphanages or punting puppies off cliffs, nothing we'll see will make us toss you out, do ya hear me!?" Tony answers, then places his hand on the spot he just smacked and ruffles Gohan's hair.

"I hear you Tony." Gohan answers. Sensing the man's intentions, he smiles, thinking 'He's a lot like Piccolo when it comes to showing affection' while rubbing the spot he just received said 'affection'.

"Good, now shall we get started?" Tony asks everyone.

"Yes, I'm ready." Gohan replies.

Everyone follows Tony back down to his lab where everything has been moved around to have a more opened space, and Gohan puts on the pair of glasses.

"Ok Gohan, just push the button on the top right and think about where you need to start." Tony explains.

"Alright, here we go." Gohan answers then pushes the button, remembering when it all started.

**Gohan's Memory, Beginning of the Saiyan Saga:**

The room transforms into the outside of the Son residence.

Tony, Pepper, and Happy all stare in awe at the vast expanse of forest surrounding a single dome like house and a small shed next to it.

"This is my home in the mountains of the 439 district where I lived with my mother Chi-Chi, and my father Goku." Gohan explains as hologram versions of a younger Chi-Chi, Goku, and Gohan appear standing in front of the dome house and next to them a big yellow cloud. 

**("Hologram Speech")**

**"Goku, are you sure about bringing Gohan to this reunion? I don't want that Master Roshi influencing our son in any way." Chi-Chi asks.**

Seeing little hologram Gohan, Pepper again 'almosts' squeals (Don't risk Pepper's Wrath by saying otherwise) and says "Oh my goodness Gohan, you were so adorable!"

"Uh...thanks Pepper." Gohan replies with a blush blooming on his face.

"Focus Pepper, keep going kid, what's this reunion your mom is talking about? and what is that cloud next to all of you? Tony asks Gohan.

"My dad trained in martial arts with a few friends of his when they were kids, under the tutelage of a legendary man named Master Roshi. He told me tons of stories about the adventures they had together, including competing in several tournaments. But after the last one they participated in when my dad finally won 1st place against a powerful and at the time dangerous guy named Piccolo, my mom and dad went off, got married and spent some time building their lives together." Gohan explains, then adds "Before they knew it, five years had passed since their wedding. So, wanting to catch up with all his old friends and wanting to bring me along to finally meet them, my dad set up the reunion we were about to head to, and that cloud next to us was our only means of transportation at the time, it's called the flying nimbus and only people with pure hearts can sit on and fly it wherever they want to go."

"Ok, JARVIS, remind me when we get to this place to investigate this magic flying cloud thing." Tony tells his A.I.

"Of course sir." JARVIS replies.

"Focus Tony, please keep going Gohan." Pepper says trying to get back on track.

"Right." Gohan answers and continues the memory.

**"Don't worry Chi-Chi, we'll only be there for the night, then we'll come back in the morning. Besides, it's about time Gohan meets everyone." Goku replies, then asks Gohan "Don't you want to meet my friends Gohan?"**

**"Ya daddy." Gohan replies, then asks "Please mommy? It'll be fun, and I'll be good I promise."**

**"'sigh' Alright, just be back here tomorrow ok? " Chi-Chi asks.**

**"Great, we'll see you tomorrow Chi-Chi." Goku replies, then hops on the nimbus with Gohan in his arms. "Bye-bye Mommy." Gohan answers as the nimbus flies off.**

The surrounding hologram then changes into a small island, with a lone pink house taking up most of its surface. 

"This is 'Kame House', the home of Master Roshi." Gohan explains as hologram versions of Goku and Gohan arrive on the the island while an old bald man, a young bald man, and a blue-haired young woman exit the house to come greet them.

"The old man is Master Roshi, the short, younger man is my dad's best friend Krillin, and the woman is Bulma." Gohan informs, then continues "There are a few other friends who couldn't make it here this day, but the main reason I'm starting here is because of the uninvited guest who came and changed everything." 

Tony, Pepper, and Happy watch as Goku introduces little Gohan to his friends and everyone enjoying their time togehter, when Goku suddenly gets a very serious look on his face and looks to the sky.

**"Goku? What's wrong?" Krillin asks.**

**"Someone's coming, and whoever they are they're incredibly strong, and not here to make friends." Goku replies to his friend.**  

"How does your dad know that Gohan?" Tony asks.

"Part of my dad's and his friends' training involved learning to sense and control the energy in their bodies that we call 'Ki', and when you master it you can sense other people's energy level, intentions, and true nature, so it's easy for us to tell who's good and who's bad." Gohan answers while the man who first turned his life upside-down lands on the island in front of the others.

**"So it is you, I recognize your face now Kakarot." The stranger says to Goku, then asks "What have you been doing all this time Kakarot? Why haven't you purged the life on this planet yet?"**

"Why is that man calling your dad 'Kakarot' Gohan?" Pepper asks.

"And did he just say purge the life on the planet?" Happy asks.

"That man's name was Radditz. He was part of an alien race called the Saiyans, who traveled from planet to planet slaughtering all life on the surface, then sold the now 'unpopulated' world to the highest bidder in a 'buissnes' under the rule of another alien tyrant called Frieza." (I know it's not really spelled this way but I grew up on the dub and I saw this spelling of it first.) Gohan answers, then continues to explain while the memory plays out "He's calling my dad Kakarot, because that was his birth name. It turned out my dad was a saiyan sent to earth when he was a baby to wipe out all life on it, to get it ready to sell. Radditz knew him because he was my dad's older brother."

"My God! Sending babies to other worlds all by themselves to do something so terrible." Pepper says horrified.

"These guys are like evil space pirates." Happy says.

"If they sent your dad to your earth when he was a baby to wipe it out, why didn't he do just that? And why didn't they know that he hadn't?" Tony asks, managing to keep a calm look, but is terrified and furious on the inside that something like this is actually possible and actually happened.

"When my dad landed on earth he was found by an old man named Gohan, who took him in and raised him as his own grandson. At first my dad was wild and violent, but one day Great-Grandpa Gohan took my dad on a hike and he slipped out of my Great-Grandpa's arms and fell down a ravine, hitting his head. He survived, but from that day on my dad was the kindest person you could meet, his mission and origin forgotten." Gohan answers first, then continues "They couldn't keep track of my dad's progress because shortly after he was shipped off, the Saiyan home world, planet Vegeta, was completely destroyed by the very master they served, Frieza. Though thankfully because of that my dad was forgotten about for over 20 years."

Everyone is stunned into silence and continue to watch the exchange of the people on the island.

**"I don't care about any of that! The earth is my home, these people are my friends! Now tell me what you want!" Goku shouts at Radditz.**

**"Well brother, the other saiyan survivors and myself are planning a big job and are short on numbers. We were about to be forced to pass it up when I remembered you. Sure, your not as powerful, but you should be enough to be useful. So I came to collect you." Radditz answers, then looks down, notices Gohan's tail, and asks "Kakarot, that boy wouldn't happen to be your spawn now would he?"**

Tony, Pepper, and Happy all get horrified looks on their faces at that question.

"He wouldn't dare!" Tony shouts digging his fingers into his palms.

"Oh god no!" Pepper nearly sobs, then covers her mouth with both hands.

"That rotten.." Happy starts to say then stops, remembering the young ears in the room.

**"Leave him out of this! Gohan go with Bulma inside the house now!" Goku orders.**

**"Daddy I'm scared, make him go away!" Gohan begs clinging to his father's leg.**

**"Don't worry, we'll get rid of him." Goku reassures his son, then asks "Krillin, Master Roshi, back me up ok? Bulma, get Gohan and go inside."**

**While Bulma is trying to get Gohan to let go of his father, Krillin and Roshi walk up next to Goku, and Krillin replies "You got it Goku!" Then turning to Radditz, threatens "You better get lost man, or this is gonna get ugly!"**

Everyone then watches as Radditz gives a smug smirk to Krillin's threat, which provokes the smaller man to charge alone, resulting in getting smacked and sent crashing into the house by one strike of Radditz's tail. The saiyan then vanishes for an instant and reappears, kneeing Goku in the gut, knocking him to the ground.

Then to their horror, while little Gohan is trying to run to his father, gets grabbed by Radditz, who then threatens Goku  **"Listen well Kakarot, to prove your worth I want you to kill 100 earthlings within 24 hours. For insurance I'll hold on to your son. Oh, and bring the bodies back to this spot, I'll be back for a head count. Don't test me Kakarot, this boy is my nephew, I would hate to have to hurt him ha ha ha!"**

Tony, Pepper, and Happy watch Radditz fly off with a hysterical Gohan in tow.

"That dirty coward!" Tony almost screams.

"Oh you poor sweet boy." Pepper manages to say while walking over to Gohan and hugging him.

Happy looks like he's about to try to beat up the Radditz hologram.

"I'm ok now guys, really, this was over 7 years ago." Gohan explains, a bit surprised by their strong reactions, then looks down and notices that Goten had fallen asleep in his arms.

He turns off the hologram and asks "This is just the beginning, but Goten is asleep, so can I put him down somewhere before we continue? Besides, there are some parts coming up I don't want him to see."

"Of course sweetheart, Happy and I got a small crib while we were in town so we can get it set up in the living room upstairs and come back to this after." Pepper replies wondering to herself 'How much worse can it get?'.

"Sure kiddo, we'll get the little monkey nice and cozy upstairs, then keep going." Tony says lightly, hoping to brighten the mood and not start re-thinking everything he thought he knew about reality.

Then realizing what he just said quickly asks "Oh Shi...shoot, I'm sorry Gohan, was that racist?"

"Racist? I'm not sure what that means." Gohan answers, a tad confused. 

"Well, I mean with this whole 'saiyan' thing, your anatomy basically being that of a seemingly super human with a monkey tail, will it offend you if I call Goten a monkey?" Tony tries to explain.

"Oh, don't worry about that. Frieza may have called saiyans 'monkeys' as an insult, but I can tell you mean it as a term of endearment, so I'm fine with it." Gohan answers with a smile, thinking 'These people are so kind, worrying about something so small.' (I know racism isn't someting to take lightly, I just think with everything Gohan has gone through he wouldn't see it as a big problem.)

"Well ok kiddo, if your sure." Tony replies.

Everyone then heads upstairs to get the crib for Goten ready.

Tony, Pepper, and Happy all kept sneaking looks at Gohan as they built the crib together, each internally asking themselves 'What else has this boy endured?' and wondering if they'll regret getting the answer to that question.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At first I only meant for Gohan's back story to be one chapter then it became 2 and now a 3rd is coming, but I'm now realizing I am covering from Gohan's perspective everything from the Saiyan Saga to the Cell Saga (First Broly movie included none of the other for the back story at least.) So I'm not sure how many chapters it'll be. But I hope you'll all stick around for it. Thanks For Reading


	4. Worried Curiosity and Grim Understanding part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gohan's story continues to unfold in front of Tony, Pepper, and Happy.

Chapter 4

* * *

With the crib finished and Goten tucked in it, everyone heads back down to the lab.

"Do you think Goten will be ok by himself?" Gohan asks, worried about leaving his brother alone in another room, even if he's asleep the whole time. 

"Don't worry kid, JARVIS will be watching him the entire time and will let us know if the little monkey wakes up or needs anything, isn't that right J?" Tony replies, wanting to take any stress off the boy's shoulders that he can.

"Of course sir. Don't worry young sir Gohan, your brother is in good hands...metaphorically speaking of course." JARVIS answers.

"Heheheh, thank you JARVIS." Gohan responds, cracking a smile.

The group arrive back in the lab and Gohan puts the B.A.R.F glasses back on, loses the smile he just had and says "Well let's get back to it."

Seeing this, Pepper begins walking towards the boy wanting to try and comfort him, but is stopped when Tony puts a hand on her shoulder.

They look each other in the eyes and have a silent conversation, never actually saying anything aloud. Tony shakes his head then Pepper steps back into the spot she was originally in and Tony places his hand back to his side.

Gohan reactivates the glasses and a new area appears around them.

**Memory Radditz's ship's crash site:**

**Radditz tosses the crying Gohan into his pod then begins walking out of the crater. "Let me out! Please, I'll be quiet, I swear! Don't leave me alone in here!" Gohan begs his kidnapper.**

"Radditz locked me in his ship to hold me until my dad fulfilled his 'request', and so he wouldn't have to listen to me cry." Gohan says in a tone that sounds like he's ashamed of himself for being scared to the point of tears. 

"Gohan, you said this was over 7 years ago right?" Pepper asks.

"That's right Pepper, why do you ask?" Gohan replies, raising an eyebrow at what he sees as a non-sequiter. (I hope I'm using that correctly)

"Well that would mean your were only 4 years old at the time, and from what I'm seeing, you are being very brave considering the situation. So don't take that tone when talking about yourself, do you understand me young man?" Pepper states, then turns her signature glare at the boy.

With both brows shooting up and a trace of fear gleaming in his eyes, Gohan stammers out "Uh yes Ma'am..sorry Ma'am." 

"Good." Pepper replies.

Getting back on track, Gohan continues "I was stuck in there for what felt like hours, when I finally heard..."

**"Radditz! Give me back my son!" Little Gohan hears his father's voice shout.**

**"Daddy! Daddy I'm in here." The little boy yells, trying to alert his father to his location, then hears** **"Well Kakarot you've found me, and I see you brought the green man as well. I take it you haven't killed 100 earthlings yet?"**

"'The Green Man'?" Tony wonders aloud.

"He's talking about Piccolo, the guy my dad defeated during the final match of the tournament where he became world champion." Gohan answers. 

"You said he was dangerous at the time right? Why would he come with your dad to help save you?" Happy asks.

"At the time, Piccolo wanted to get revenge on my dad for defeating him at the tournament, and for defeating and killing his father before Piccolo was born, and stopping both of their attempts at taking over the earth. But Piccolo could sense how much more powerful Radditz was than himself and realized the only chance of defeating him was to team up with my dad." Gohan answers.

"The enemy of my enemy is my ally huh?" Tony thinks aloud.

"Yeah." Gohan replies, then returns to the memory. "I couldn't hear much until.."

**"Your a disgrace to the saiyan race Kakarot!! Now prepare to DIE!!!" Radditz screams.**

**Gohan winces and jumps every time he hears a clash or explosion, then cries aloud when his father begins screaming in agony.**

**"AHHHHHH! UHH! AGHGHH!"**

**"Oh Kakarot, this world has made you go soft. Never show mercy to an enemy. Hahaha!" Radditz taunts his younger brother.**

"I hate to ask, but what did the dirty shi-schmuck mean by that?" Tony asks, managing the save after seeing Pepper glare at him.

Not noticing the almost swear word, Gohan answers "When Piccolo told me about the fight, he said my dad managed to grab Radditz's tail, which if you don't train it, is a saiyan weak spot that drains the saiyan of all their strength. But Radditz was able to convince my dad to let go by promising he would leave earth. Falling for it, my dad complied and was sucker punched for his kindness."

"No offense to your dad Gohan, but how could he be so naive?" Tony asks, trying to keep the frustration out of his voice.

"My dad always believed that everyone deserves a second chance to do the right thing, and while sometimes that belief did get him into trouble, it also resulted in several former bad guys to come to our side and become allies and eventually friends, including Piccolo." Gohan explains with a fond smile.

"Well I guess I can't fault that." Tony gives, feeling a bit guilty now.

Sensing this Gohan adds "Don't worry Tony, while it worked out in a few cases, it failed twice as many. It frustrated all of us one time or another." then gives him a light smile, hoping he's showing he's not offended by Tony's apprehension of his father's policy.

Tony returns the gesture, letting Gohan know he heard the boy.

Getting back to the memory, Gohan continues his explanation "Hearing my dad in such pain, it triggered something in me..." He leaves open ended as the memory gets to his first 'Snapping' (Sorry 20 til 6am it's all I could think of)

Tony, Pepper, and Happy watch in awe and surprise as little Gohan gets a serious, mad, expression on his face then jumps up, going right through the roof of Radditz's ship, causing it to explode behind him while he front flips in to a standing position at the edge of the crater.

**"Leave my dad ALOOOOONE!!!" Little Gohan demands, then with a large aura surrounding him and letting out a large scream, shoots directly toward his evil uncle and colliding headfirst into the man's chest, cracking his armor in multiple places and knocking him down.**

"Holy shi- cow kid! You knocked that son of a bit-scuit eater right on his as- butt." Tony mutters out in shock of hologram Gohan's actions and in fear of Pepper's wrath if he doesn't watch his mouth around the boy. 

Pepper, while surprised by what she's seeing, turns to Tony and gives him a glare that he knows means 'You will meet your end at my hands if you aren't careful.' while asking "Gohan, how did you do that?"

Meanwhile, Happy is standing frozen in silence.

Gohan, looking at Tony as if he grew a second head from his phrasing answers Pepper "This is the first of a few occasions that when pushed to my mental limit, I snap and channel an overwhelming power from within myself and brutally attack whoever is responsible for getting me in that state."

They all turn back to the memory only to see... **"D..daddy? Daddy!" Gohan exclaims, seeing Goku and seemingly just realizing he's out of his spherical prison.**

**"Go...Gohan run away...hurry." Goku begs his son before the boy turns around and sees Radditz right in front of them.**

**"That was some attack, you actually damaged my armor." Radditz says in an angry tone, then the next second, the whole scene turns black.**

"That's when Radditz knocked me out. I woke up a while after the battle was over." Gohan explains.

Then the surrounding hologram coming back on, surrounds them in nothing but water, with hologram Gohan jumping out of a pond he was for some reason facedown in, and then shows him to be in a wide expanse of land with a new face Tony, Pepper, and Happy figure to be Piccolo.

**Gohan's Memory Piccolo's training grounds:**

**"Wha...where am I? Where's my dad?" Hologram Gohan asks aloud, looking around he sees Piccolo standing in front of him.**

**"AHHHHHH! Daddy help! That mean Piccolo man's got me! Daddy where are you?" the boy screams, running in circles while still in the pond.**

**"That's enough you sniveling brat! Now stop crying!" Piccolo shouts at the frightened child.**

**Little Gohan freezes in his tracks, then asks Piccolo "What's going on?" "What happened to my dad?"**

**Piccolo answers "Thanks to the injury you gave him, your father and I managed to take out the saiyan. But in the process, Goku died as well."**

"Jesus! That's how you break that to a toddler!?" Tony shouts.

"Oh my god." Pepper says, heartbroken for the boy.

"Kid." is all Happy can get out.

They all look at Gohan and are surprised when they don't see any sadness in his expression. 

Noticing their looks and not wanting to appear as if this doesn't bother him, Gohan just says "Keep watching, trust me you'll understand."

**"Wha? WHAT!?" Little Gohan shouts, tears about to start pouring again.**

**"NO! no more tears or I swear I'll give you something to cry about!" Piccolo shouts back at the distraught boy, then he asks "I'm sure your father told you about the Dragon Balls, right?"**

**Gohan nods in affirmative "Ya..yes."**

**"Then you know that once your father's friends gather them all together they will bring him back to life. So forget about that for now, we have a bigger problem on the horizon." Piccolo explains.**

"Hold on WHAT!? Bring him back to LIFE!? Gohan, context please?" Tony freaks out, trying to rationalize what he just heard.

"You all remember that little, glass, orange, ball with the four red stars on it that was on the top of my younger self's hat right?" Gohan asks.

When all three other occupants of the room nod in the affirmative, Gohan explains "That was a 'Dragon Ball', a special object created by a race of aliens called the Namekians, which is what Piccolo is actually. Sorry, getting off track. They are made in sets of seven, each with a different number of stars on them from 1 to 7. When all are gathered together, and the special phrase is said, the Eternal Dragon, earth's version is also known as Shenron, will appear and grant you anywhere from 1 to 3 wishes depending on the limits of the Dragon. Bringing back the dead is one of the things it can grant, but after all wishes are granted, the dragon vanishes and the dragon balls shoot into the sky, scatter across the planet they're on, and turn to stone, unable to be used again for a full year of that planet's calendar."

Tony, Pepper, and Happy all stand in silence, processing that bombshell for a few minutes.

Then Tony speaks "Ok, bringing back the dead. That is a lot to absorb. I'd ask if you were just messing with us, but I disabled the part of the B.A.R.F that alters the memories of the user, so unless you're completely insane, which I wouldn't have ruled out if I hadn't seen you and your brother fall into my yard from out of a portal with my own eyes, you must be telling the truth."

"I told you that you wouldn't believe me." Gohan says with an amused expression.

"Ya, well I wasn't expecting something of this magnitude of crazy to actually be possible." Tony defends.

"Well sit back and watch guys, it's about to get even crazier." Gohan playfully warns as the memory continues.

**"What bigger problem do you mean Mr. Piccolo? " Little Gohan asks.**

**"While you were unconscious, before the saiyan died and after I let him know Goku wouldn't be dead for long, he revealed that the device on his face was transmitting everything that occurred to his saiyan comrades, who he said we're several times stronger than himself, and will come here to earth in one year earth's time, so we need to prepare for their arrival with intense training." Piccolo explains.**

**"Buh...but why do I need to train if you and daddy are there to fight these guys? Why do you need my help?" Gohan asks.**

**"Your father and I barley managed to defeat the man who took you today, and we were only able to accomplish that because of the power within you that you momentarily unlocked." "With so little time to prepare for this oncoming threat we are going to need every man available and that includes you." Piccolo declares to the boy.**

**"What!? But I'm just a kid, I can't fight with grownups!" Little Gohan responds getting scared.**

**"I don't want to hear it!" Piccolo shouts, then adds "You have an immense reserve of power within you, and I will teach you to control it, but you need to realize that there is no other choice. If you want your friends and family to survive this invasion, your going to have to be there on the front lines. Do you understand?"**

**"But...I don't want to be a fighter, I want to be a scholar." Gohan stutters out.**

**"When this is over you can do what you wish with your life, but if you want there to even be a future, you're going to have to be prepared for the coming battle." Piccolo replies.**

"That is so wrong! Putting all that pressure on you, you were way too young for something like this!" Tony says, outraged for Gohan's sake, remembering the heavy burdens he had to bear at that age for his own family.

"I wasn't exactly ready for that kind of responsibility, but there wasn't any other choice at the time." Gohan explains as the memory continues.

**"O..ok, I understand Mr. Piccolo." Little Gohan says, then after removing his over shirt asks "Where...are we going to start?"**

**"Not we, You." "Right now you are far too soft for me to work with, so while I train alone you are going to be staying here to strengthen yourself." "If you can survive out here on your own for 6 months, then your real training will begin." Piccolo informs.**

"He can't be serious!" Pepper exclaims.

"Oh he was. Heh heh." Gohan answers, sweat dropping.

Tony, Pepper, and Happy watch in shock as Piccolo flies off, leaving the young Gohan alone in the wilderness.

"It was terrifying and difficult, but over time I managed to adapt. Then when Piccolo returned, the real training began." Gohan explains while memories of his days alone in the wild and his training with Piccolo flash before the others.

**Gohan's Memory close to the end of his training with Piccolo:**

**"Hey Piccolo? Is it true that you fought my dad at the last World Martial Arts Tournament?" Little Gohan asks, battered and wearing an outfit resembling his father's gi.**

**"Yes, and we will battle again when we get rid of these saiyans, and I will take him down once and for all." Piccolo grumbly answers while staring at their campfire.**

**"Aww come on, there isn't any reason for you two to fight each other anymore. Your pretty much part of the family now, your like my big green uncle." Little Gohan replies with a small smile.**

**"That's enough out of you! Now get to sleep, tomorrow's training is going to be the toughest yet!" Piccolo shouts, taken aback by Gohan's friendliness towards him.**

**"Uhhh! Yes sir!" Gohan replies, quickly laying down and closing his eyes.**

"Looks like you got the big green meanie wrapped around your little finger huh buddy?" Tony asks Gohan with a smirk, knowing embarrassed deflection when he's sees it.

"Yeah, well after sometime training together, I saw the good in Piccolo, and I wanted him to see it too." Gohan replies, a blush reforming on his face, but then his demeanor changes. With a serious expression on his face, he adds "Then the day came when the Saiyans arrived."

**Gohan's Memory the day of the Saiyans' arrival:**

**Sensing a colossal power landing on the planet Piccolo shouts "It must be them. They're early."**

**Little Gohan, now wearing an outfit matching Piccolo's asks "They're so strong Piccolo. Will we be able to hold them off until my dad gets back?"**

**Removing his turban and cape Piccolo answers "Don't worry Gohan, your preparation has been excellent, you just need to believe in yourself."**

**Getting a determined look, Gohan replies "Right." They then fly off to the area where everyone would convene. (Again hoping I'm using that right)**

Tony and the others watch as the Saiyans arrive, then see Krillin and 3 unknowns come to back up Piccolo and Gohan.

"I recognize Krillin, but who are the two big guys and the little one who doesn't look much older than little you?" Tony asks.

"The one with the long black hair is Yamcha, he trained with my dad and Krillin under Master Roshi. The one with 3 eyes is Tien, he and the little guy next to him were from a rival martial arts school, but became friends with my dad's group. And the little guy is Chiaoutzu, he may look like a kid, but he's looked like that for nearly 20 years now, seemingly never aging." Gohan answers.

"Are the latter 2 different types of aliens or something?" Tony wonders aloud.

"Honestly none of us were ever entirely sure about that, if they are they've never said anything." Gohan replies.

The memory continues with the big saiyan identified as 'Nappa' pulling out a small vial and placing 6 seeds from it into the ground, then pouring a green liquid on them and moments later, 6 green creatures a little bigger than memory Gohan sprout out of the ground.

"JESUS FUC-FREAKIN!!" Tony tries to articulate, but is smacked on the back of the head by Pepper.

"I think Tony is trying to ask what those things are." Pepper tells Gohan.

"Yeah, that." Tony confirms, while rubbing the spot Pepper laid out the law on.

"Those are called Saibaman. They're plant like creatures the 'Planet Traders' used on worlds they didn't believe were worth their foot soldiers time, to slaughter the population for them." Gohan explains.

"So they were saying you guys weren't worth their time to fight themselves." Happy states.

"That and they were also just killing time with what they saw as a game while waiting for my dad to show up, thinking that sense he was the only full blooded saiyan, he would be the only one able to challenge them in any way." Gohan replies.

"Arrogant turds." Tony tests, to see if that warrants Pepper's wrath, then is relieved seeing her not react to it.

"Yeah, another major weak point of Saiyans is their ego and pride." Gohan explains.

The memory gets to the point where the heroes agree to play the saiyans' game, also hoping to draw this out until Goku arrived, with Krillin walking up, volunteering to go first but being stopped by Yamcha.

**"Yamcha what's up?" Krillin asks his friend.**

**"Krillin I'm going to go first ok? You all just sit back and enjoy the show." Yamcha answers confidently.**

**"Yamcha I'll be fine, really." Krillin replies.**

**"Don't worry man, it'll be better if I go first, so if the worst should happen you can all bring me back afterwards. But you and Chiaoutzu have already both been brought back to life before, so if something happens to either of you now we won't be able to get you back." Yamcha explains, hoping Krillin will step down.**

"What does he mean by that Gohan?" Tony asks.

"The Dragon Balls, while extremely powerful, also have some limits. One of them being that if you are brought back to life with them once before, they aren't able to bring you back a second time. Well that's the rule for earth's Dragon Balls anyway, Namek's while unable to bring back multiple people at once like earth's can if you can group their cause of death together, can bring someone back multiple times as long as they don't die a natural death." "So Krillin and Chiaoutzu who were killed by Piccolo's father and his minions and brought back to life with earth's Dragon Balls before, can't be brought back by them again." Gohan explains.

"Wow, so even something like magic wish granting balls have limitations. Another sentence I never thought would come out of my mouth, but I'm starting to get the feeling that's going to happen a lot from now on." Tony jokes.

"Yeah, most likely." Gohan replies with an amused smirk.

The memory plays out, with everyone watching Yamcha take on a Saibaman and for the most part controlling the battle. Then after he overwhelms it in a beam struggle, Tony, Pepper, and Happy are shocked to see the smaller Saiyan identified as 'Vegeta' kill the monster with a flick of a finger.

**"Vegeta why!? He hadn't lost yet!" Nappa asks.**

**"He wasn't going all out. I believe I made my instructions to them not to hold back very clear." Vegeta coldly states.**

**"But he was...all these Saibaman have a power level of 1,200, the same as-" Nappa tries to explain, but Vegeta interrupts with** **"The same as who Nappa?"**

**"As...as Radditz." Nappa answers.**

"Seriously!? They could grow creatures as strong as your twisted uncle!?" Tony asks.

"Yeah. It turned out Radditz was at the bottom of the power totem-pole in their organization." Gohan explains. 

'Damn, how powerful are the things this kid survived? How powerful is the kid himself to even be alive now?' Tony wonders to himself.

The projection plays out with Yamcha fighting and seemingly defeating a second Saibaman, but as he turns his back to the creature it springs back to life and wraps itself around him.

Yamcha struggles to free himself, but the monster self detonates, consuming the man in an explosion.

When the dust clears, he's on the ground, dead, with bits and pieces of the Saibaman surrounding his body.

"Oh God!" Pepper shouts.

"Jesus." Tony manages to get out.

Happy isn't able to say anything.

Gohan doesn't say anything and just continues the play back.

**"YAMCHA!!!" Krillin screams, while dashing to his fallen friend.**

**"He's...he's dead!" He tells the group in a broken voice.**

**"Well I guess we'll call that one a tie." Vegeta states, clearly amused.**

**"How Dare You!?" Krillin shouts in rage.**

**"Oh quit your sniveling you runt, you're all going to be dead soon enough!" Nappa declares.**

**"Have some patience Nappa. Give them time to clear this trash off the battlefield." Vegeta orders.**

"THAT PIECE OF-"

"MOTHER FU-" Tony and Happy are about to shout, but then hear Pepper clear her throat.

Both men clam up and turn to see her with a furious expression that has nothing to do with them.

Gohan continues to stay silent while the memory goes on.

Krillin shoots a powerful energy blast in retaliation to Vegeta's words, hitting both Saiyans and killing 3 of the 4 remaining Saibaman.

But when the dust clears, Nappa and Vegeta are completely unscathed, and the final Saibaman charges at Gohan, who freezes in shock. But before he can be harmed, Piccolo stops the creature in its tracks, delivers a brutal punch to its gut, then tosses it into the air and reduces it to ashes with an energy blast from his mouth.

"Alright! Little man and big green for the win! taking out those mutant lettuce head freaks! I wonder if that's why the green fella's voice is so deep and raspy?" Tony jokes in celebration for the destruction of the Saibaman.

Smiling at Tony's enthusiasm Gohan replies "Hopefully if you get to meet Piccolo, you remember to ask him that, I'd love to see how he'd respond, hehheh."

After everyone has a quick laugh at that thought, they all get grim looks on their faces again and Tony asks "The real fight hasn't even started yet has it?" 

"No...not even close." Gohan answers in a hollow tone. 

The projection then continues the battle, showing Nappa breeze through all of Gohan's group.

From Chiaoutzu self detonating similar to a Saibaman, trying to take Nappa with him, but when the dust cleared, the saiyan was still alive, with barley any damage.

To the brute literally punching Tien's whole right hand and some of his arm right off of his body, and Tien fighting against Nappa alone, despite the pain. Then after Chiaoutzu's death, channeling his entire life force into a blast, he shoots at the saiyan, but that also ends up doing very little damage and causing the 3 eyed man to die from depleting all of his energy.

To Piccolo and Krillin managing to catch Nappa off guard and hitting him towards Gohan so the boy can attack him and deal some serious damage before the saiyan recovers, but Gohan is so scared of the giant after everything he saw him do to the others that he's unable to act.

To the 3 hour reprieve Vegeta gives the 3 survivors to see if Goku will show up.

When he doesn't, Krillin and Piccolo come up with the plan to grab Nappa's tail to weaken him, so Gohan can finish him off with a full power attack, only to fail due to Nappa having already trained his tail out of that weakness. Resulting in Nappa knocking Piccolo out and shooting Krillin with an energy blast.

Even though Krillin survives the attack, he's unable to move, leaving Gohan the last one standing. 

**"Well little man, looks like your all that's left. Let's see what a half-saiyan can do." Nappa taunts the 5 year old Gohan, but before the kid can respond, he gets brutally kicked into a nearby boulder.**

**"No...Gohan." Krillin utters, frustrated he's unable to help the boy.**

**Nappa, about to finish Gohan off, gets blasted in the back by the now awake Piccolo.**

**"You damn namekian toad! You shot me in the back!" Nappa shouts.**

**"Hah...sorry, I was aiming for your face, but I guess I got them mixed up." Piccolo retorts with a smirk.**

**Furious at Piccolo's quip, Nappa charges him, forgetting about Gohan, who makes him regret it by kicking the giant saiyan into a cliff side.**

**Though this only enrages Nappa more.**

**He begins charging a huge blast and fires it at Gohan, who is stunned by Nappa's quick recovery and isn't able to get out of the way, but is saved by Piccolo when he gets in front of the boy, and takes the blast in his place.**

**"Pi..Piccolo?" Gohan asks, to see if he's ok, then watches in shock as his teacher falls face down onto the ground.**

**The young boy runs to the namekian's side screaming "Piccolo I'm so sorry! DON'T DIE!! PLEASE!!?"**

**"It's ok Gohan." "You...you need to get out of here...hurry." Piccolo replies.**

**"But Piccolo, you and Krillin are hurt, I can't just leave you. Don't worry, I'll hold them off until my dad gets here, you'll be fine." Gohan tries to reassure his friend, but has tears building up in his eyes as he's saying it.**

**"I'm not going to make it Gohan, but it's ok...I'm glad I was able to help you in the end..even though I was so tough on you....you never complained or gave up..and you treated me.....with kindness..and for that I thank you....goodbye my friend." Piccolo manages to say before his eyes close and he passes on.**

**"No..'hic'...Piccolo....NOOOOOOO! AGHHHHHHUGHHAHHHH! Gohan cries, heartbroken and enraged at his friend's death.**

**He then quickly puts all of his power into a move Piccolo taught him and fires it at Nappa in retaliation "MASENKO-HAA!" Gohan launches the beam, only for it to be smacked off without much effort into another direction by the saiyan.**

**"Wow kid, not bad. You made my hand go numb." Nappa taunts.**

**"'Huff'..'huff'...I'm so sorry Piccolo, I failed you..I couldn't hold him off, and now I don't even have the strength to run away like you wanted me to." Gohan apologizes to his friend's body as he falls to his knees, spent of all his strength.**

Pepper has tears pouring down her face, Happy keeps wiping his eyes and sniffling, and Tony's digging his fingers into his palms so hard, he's drawing blood.

None of them are able to say anything as they watch Nappa taunt Gohan while he walks up towards him and is about to kill the boy by actually stomping him to death with one foot, which is bigger than the child's entire body.

They see little Gohan close his eyes in resignation, and all 3 of them close their eyes when Nappa goes for the stomp.

Gohan looks at them and says "I didn't die. That's not how the fight ended."

At hearing this, Tony, Pepper, and Happy all slowly open their eyes and see memory Gohan sitting on the nimbus with Goku standing next to him.

"NOW HE SHOWS UP?!" Tony shouts, angry that it took Goku so long to arrive, to the point where he almost saved no one at all.

"Yeah, it took him too long, but he did manage to save Krillin and me." Gohan answers.

They all continue to watch the memory in silence, but when seeing Goku hand Gohan and Krillin what looked like plain beans and them getting up as if they were never injured after eating them, Tony asks "What did he just give you and Krillin?"

"Those are senzu beans, eating just one will heal any and all injuries, restore stamina, and keep the consumer's stomach full for 10 days without needing to eat at all in that time." Gohan answers.

"Are there any other magic things we should know about?" Tony questions.

"With the nimbus, dragon balls, and senzu beans, I think that covers the majority of the magic stuff." Gohan answers.

"Good, along with this horror show you lived through, I think I've had my fill of magic." Tony jokes, trying to raise the other's and his own spirits.

"Do you guys need a break?" "I'd understand, I mean this is some pretty tough stuff to watch." Gohan asks, worried about Tony, Pepper, and Happy. 

Tony looks at his friends, watches Pepper wiping tears off her face, and Happy placing a hand on her shoulder while choking up a bit himself, and decides it is time for a break.

So Tony responds "Yeah that sounds good, if you don't mind stoping here for now and starting back up after breakfast tomorrow?" "Gohan, Pepper, Happy, you all ok with that plan?" 

"That's fine with me." Gohan answers.

"Ya, I think I'm at my limit boss." Happy replies. 

"That sounds good. We'll process what we've seen so far then get back to it tomorrow." Pepper responds after a few moments in her 'P.A' mode voice, trying to stay calm.

"Ok, let's all head back upstairs and get some sleep." Tony adds while Gohan turns the B.A.R.F glasses off, and they all begin to head upstairs.

"Gohan, we have a few spare rooms, you can pick whichever one you like. Also there are some pajamas we picked up for you and Goten, if you want to get him and yourself changed again." Pepper lets Gohan know.

"Thank you Pepper, that sounds good." Gohan replies then asks "How did you get my and Goten's sizes anyway?"

"Oh, JARVIS got them while he was scanning you and your brother for injuries, and he gave them to Pepper when she went out to get Happy and the supplies we'd need." Tony answers for Pepper.

"Wow, that's really cool." Gohan replies. 

"Oh you flatter me young sir Gohan." JARVIS responds to Gohan's comment.

After getting upstairs, Tony shows Gohan the rooms, and even though the kid could do it himself, he helps the boy get Goten's crib in the room Gohan picked. Then after leaving Gohan to change Goten and himself for bed, Tony says goodbye to Happy who decides to head home, then Pepper takes the room she always uses when she stays over, and finally Tony heads to his own bedroom and throws himself on his bed facedown.

"This must be serious if you are actually tired enough to retire to your bedroom sir." JARVIS comments to his creator. 

"This is serious JARVIS. Those boys come from another reality, which is, from what we saw so far, a special kind of hell. If I figure out how to open another portal, which I'm not even sure I can, to get them back home, I don't really think we should." Tony replies, worrying about what he should do, then asks his A.I "JARVIS, you recorded all the memory projections Gohan's shown us so far right?"

"Yes sir, I was also able to record the memories young sir Gohan had in mind that the B.A.R.F captured but he hadn't gotten to yet." JARVIS answers.

"Good, we can shorten the process of reviewing these nightmarish flashbacks, hopefully taking some of the stress off the poor kid, and we'll have all that footage ready to show to anyone else who will need to know the situation." Tony rattles off.

"Who else would need to know sir?" JARVIS asks.

"Well definitely Rhodey, cuz I'm not going to even attempt hiding this from him, though he'll probably threaten his 'Evil Honeybear Stare' if I don't do right by these kids in whatever way I can. Maybe other super brainacs I recruit to help figure out dimensional travel to alternate realities, because that is now a thing, so hopefully we'll be able to figure out how to get them back, if going back home is what's best for the boys. And possibly though I'd rather avoid it, Obi. I'm worried he would just want to try and get Gohan to divulge the secrets to this 'Ki' stuff he was talking about, and that could be a major threat in the wrong hands, so best not pull the pin on that grenade."

"I agree with those assessments sir." JARVIS responds.

"Ya, well those are things to deal with later. For now I just hope we can all get a decent night's sleep before this resumes." Tony replies, then just as he's about to fall asleep hears Goten begin crying from down the hall.

"It appears you just jinxed yourself sir." JARVIS states.

"Ugh." Tony replies to his friend, then covers his head with a pillow and manages to fall asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know the exposition of Gohan's past is taking too long I'll do my best to speed it up.


	5. Worried Curiosity and Grim Understanding part 4

Chapter 5

* * *

  **The Next Morning:**

"Tony, Tony wake up." Tony hears as he slowly comes to.

He cracks an eye open and looks up to see his P.A standing over him.

"Pep? What's up?" He asks while sitting up.

"The boys are still asleep and JARVIS told me he recorded the memories Gohan hadn't gotten to yet. So I wanted us to go through at least some of them before he gets up." Pepper answers.

"Oh...I was kinda hoping that was all just a weird dream." Tony replies. 

"I know what you mean, but this is very real and we are going to do whatever we can to lighten the burden off of that poor sweet boy's shoulders." Pepper adamantly declares.

"I hear you Pep." Tony replies, then with a smirk adds "You've suddenly become very maternal Ms. Potts. Have these half super alien warrior children from another reality brought out your soft side?" Then thinks 'I'm starting to adjust to saying these insane sentences, I wonder if that's a good thing or not?'

With a smirk of her own Pepper answers her boss "Oh don't pretend you don't like them, especially considering how quickly little Goten had you wrapped around his little fingers Mr. Stark."

With a small blush, Tony stutters a bit then looks to the ceiling.

"JARVIS, you showed her the footage of when she left to get Happy and the supplies didn't you?" He accuses the A.I.

"Apologies sir. Ms. Potts requested to see it and I wasn't aware of it being private." JARVIS casually replies.

Tony glares at the ceiling, then turns it on Pepper and asks "Why did you even watch that?"

"I just wanted to make sure you didn't drop the baby while you had to clean him up." Pepper answers, trying to suppres a laugh.

"Whatever, let's just get this nightmare restarted and go through what we can before the kid wakes up alright?" Tony grumbles while getting out of bed to get cleaned up and dressed.

"You got it." Pepper replies, then heads out of the room.

Tony and Pepper head down to the lab and have JARVIS start the B.A.R.F projection from where Gohan left off before.

While watching, Tony asks "What about Happy?"

"I talked to him and he said he would watch the rest if we needed him to, but I didn't want him to push himself. So I didn't tell him we were doing this." Pepper answers.

Tony just nods in understanding and they continue to watch.

Everything from Goku taking down Nappa, and in response, Vegeta killing Nappa for losing.

To Gohan and Krillin leaving per Goku's request. Then after nearly getting to Kame House, where all their other friends were waiting, turn back to find Goku being crushed in the hands of a giant ape who turned out to be Vegeta.

Then the boy and Krillin doing everything they could to save Goku, luckily succeeding when a newcomer later identified as 'Yadjirobe' appears and cuts Vegeta's tail off. Causing the saiyan to change back to his previous form, then retaliate by beating Yadjirobe and Krillin up, leaving Gohan to fight him alone.

To the spirit bomb Gohan is narrowly able to bounce back after Yadjirobe screws up by yelling at Krillin to launch the attack, revealing to Vegeta it was coming, to hit the saiyan when he heard his father telepathically tell him what to do.

Then everything going black after Vegeta managed to get back up, after barley surviving the spirit bomb, and launch an explosive wave, later waking up to everything being over and everyone in an aircraft while listening to a voice identified as 'King Kai' explain about Piccolo's origin and homeworld of Namek. And the plan to go there and use their dragon balls to revive Yamcha, Chiaoutzu, Tien, and Piccolo, the latter's resurrection also bringing back Kami, the creator of earth's Dragon Balls back so they'll have their set again is formed. 

"God, why do I get the feeling that it's only going to get worse?" Tony asks aloud, having JARVIS turn off the projection for now, so he and Pepper can take a break for breakfast.

"Because it does." Tony and Pepper hear, then turn to see Gohan with a groggy Goten in his arms.

"Kid, we didn't know you were up." Tony replies then asks "JARVIS, why didn't you let us know that the kid was awake and heading down here?"

"Sorry sir, I was distracted by young sir Gohan's memories playing out."

"I didn't think that was possible JARVIS. Wait, if you didn't ask JARVIS, how did you know where we were Gohan?" Tony asks in response to JARVIS' answer.

"I sensed you and Pepper down here and I was curious. I'm sorry I didn't announce myself." Gohan explains with an apologetic look in his eyes.

"Don't sweat it kid, it's not a problem." Tony responds, giving Gohan an easy going smile.

"I bet you and Goten are hungry, how about we all head upstairs and get some breakfast?" Pepper asks.

"Sure that sounds great, I can also answer any questions you have about the stuff you watched before I came down here." Gohan answers.

They all head up and eat while Gohan explains about the great ape transformation, what happened to Vegeta after Gohan was knocked out, and about King Kai. 

"Ok, so we need to make sure this little monkey here never looks at a full moon or we'll have a Godzilla/King-Kong situation on our hands." Tony jokes while poking Goten's cheek, getting a laugh from the baby in response.

"I'm not sure what 'Godzilla' or 'King-Kong' mean, but yes, Goten can't be allowed to see a full moon as long as he has a tail." Gohan replies, confused by the reference.

"I'm gonna have to give you a pop culture crash course soon kiddo. It'll help you adjust and fit in with the locals, in case your stuck here for the foreseeable future." Tony informs Gohan.

"That sounds fine Tony, though hopefully you won't have to waste your time on that." Gohan replies, still feeling like a burden. 

"It wouldn't be a waste of time Gohan, we're happy to help you in any way we can." Pepper declares to the boy.

"She's right kid, so don't worry about that. Let's just get back to it so we can figure out how best to move forward, sound good?" Tony asks.

"Sure...thank you guys, really." Gohan answers with a small smile.

Tony, Pepper, and Gohan head back down to the lab.

When looking down at Goten in his arms, Gohan realizes what memories are coming next and asks "Is there something we can use to distract Goten? What's coming next is pretty brutal and he shouldn't see it." 

"I think I have an idea." "JARVIS, can you put the memory projection on one screen and something age appropriate for the little guy on a separate screen?" Tony asks his creation.

"Of course sir, shall I have Dum-E stay with young sir Goten to watch him?" JARVIS asks in response.

"Yes, but please keep a metaphorical eye on them, in case Dum-E gets too into whatever program you bring up and doesn't notice the tiny monkey crawl off while we're occupied." Tony replies to JARVIS, then asks Gohan "That ok with you kid?"

"Yeah, that sounds good. " Gohan answers with a smile.

Gohan sits Goten down on a couch near Dum-E's charging station while JARVIS brings up a screen playing cartoons.

Immediately, Goten is focusing on the screen, entranced by the colorful characters, and so is Dum-E for that matter.

With an amused smile, Gohan turns back to Tony and Pepper, and they move to the other side of lab, hopefully far enough where Goten won't hear anything, but close enough to get to him quickly if needed.

"Ok, let's get back to it. I'll skip the trip to Namek itself and start at when we landed." Gohan states, then the play back begins. 

They watch in silence as Gohan's memory plays out everything. From the ship being destroyed by Frieza's grunts, and Gohan and Krillin taking them out.

To finding the cave to hide where they got their first look at Frieza himself as he flew past them.

To Gohan and Krillin finding a namekian village and watching in horror as Frieza and his men butcher the defenseless people one by one until some of the younger namekian warriors came and tried to fight off their invaders, which the last surviving elder used as a chance to destroy their scouters so they can't track any other villagers.

To Dodoria killing the young warriors, forcing the elder to relinquish the Dragon Ball to try and get at least the children's lives spared, but then watched as the younger child was killed anyway, then the elder himself.

And just when the pink monster was about to kill the last child, Gohan snapped and surprise attacked the henchman. Then Krillin, Gohan, plus the namekian child, to later be identified as Dende, fly off and thanks to Krillin's quick thinking with the solar flare, manage to escape.

To them finding out about Guru from Dende and the young namekian guiding Krillin to him, where he received his potential unlocked by the Grand Elder.

To Gohan going to the village he and Krillin sensed being massacred by Vegeta, alone, burying the bodies of the victims, and the young half saiyan promising they'll resurrect them. Then finding the Dragon Ball that was left behind, and getting through his surprise encounter with Vegeta without him discovering the Dragon Ball with only suffering a knee to the gut.

To Gohan getting his potential unlocked by Guru, and he and Krillin teaming up with Vegeta to fight the Ginyu Force, and being saved by Vegeta when Guldo's physic powers trapped both of them in midair.

To Recoome thrashing Vegeta and putting Krillin out of commission with one kick, leaving Gohan to fight him alone.

"It seems to be a trend that everyone with you gets taken down by the bad guys, leaving you the last one standing to try and save everyone, and I don't like it at all." Tony says, frustrated as he watches young Gohan fighting for everyone's lives and his own.

"Tony's right, it's so horrible, you being forced into this situation again and again. Gohan your poor brave boy." Pepper says but then is silenced by what she's sees next.

**Gohan's Memory Gohan vs Recoome:**

**"Come on small fry, give me more fun than Vegeta or your bald buddy did, ha ha ha!" Recoome taunts Gohan, who is weary and battered after their first few exchanges.**

**"I'm going to BEAT YOU!" Gohan declares, then is running and dodging Recoome's blasts, but is getting hit and knocked around by the red headed giant.**

**Gohan, limping towards Recoome says "I am my father's son! I won't lose to you!"**

**"Whatever you say shorty, but you're gonna die here, hehehe!"**

**At that taunt, Gohan jumps at Recoome and shouts "I'M NOT GONNA LET YOU WIN!" But Recoome dodges the boy's attack and breaks the boy's neck with a brutal kick.**

"Oh my God!" Pepper shouts while trying to hold back a sob.

"That dirty mother-" Tony is saying but stops himself and justs grits his teeth so he doesn't say something he shouldn't.

The two are then relieved yet also furious to see Goku show up, once again barley in time to save his child's life.

"I'm sorry kid, but My God!" "Did your old man time it for suspense or something?" Tony asks, unable to keep it to himself.

"I sometimes wondered the same thing, but I guess it didn't matter since he did always save me in the end." Gohan replies, frustrated at the pattern Tony and Pepper pointed out that he always tried not to see.

Pepper then surprises the half saiyan boy by pulling him into an embrace and declares "It absolutely does matter. I don't care about the circumstances, you should have never been exposed to this kind of danger!"

"She's got a point kid." Tony adds.

Gohan stands silent for a bit, surprised at his new friends' frustration and anger on his behalf.

'Only mom worried about me this much, and even she never asked about anything that happened during all the battles I had to fight.' He thinks to himself, then hears Tony and Pepper repeating his name.

Gohan jumps, startled that he spaced out over something like this, then rushes to explain "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to space out, I was...I'm...I'm not sure."

"Don't worry about it kiddo, but are you ok?" Tony asks.

Gohan wonders what he means but then realizes that he has a few tears spilling from his eyes.

Quickly wiping his face with his arm, Gohan replies "Yeah...yeah I'm ok." 

Before Tony or Pepper can try to say anything to hopefully comfort Gohan, the boy restarts the memory playback, so they bite their tongues, deciding to leave him be for now.

They watch everything from Goku easily beating the Ginyu Force members.

To Goku allowing the one named Jiece to escape, and Vegeta finishing Recoome and the one named Burter off.

To Ginyu himself arriving, then Goku sending Gohan and Krillin off to find the Dragon Balls, but when they do, Ginyu appears in Goku's body and attacks them.

To them managing to fight him off while Vegeta shows up to fight Jiece, and Goku showing up in Ginyu's severely wounded body in time to explain that Ginyu won't be able to access Goku's body's full power.

To Vegeta killing Jiece and beating Ginyu within an inch of his life, and Goku getting his body back when Ginyu tried to switch with Vegeta, and then foiling Ginyu's second attempt at stealing Vegeta's body by tossing a frog in the path of Ginyu's body swapping beam.

To Vegeta putting Goku in Frieza's ship's healing pod and giving Gohan and Krillin armor similar to his.

To Gohan, Krillin, and Dende managing to summon Porunga, resurrect Piccolo, and teleport him to Namek before the Dragon Balls went inert, revealing Guru just died

To Frieza appearing and fighting Vegeta until he decided to transform.

**Gohan's Memory Frieza's Second Form attacks:**

**Gohan, Krillin, Dende, and Vegeta just float in the air and stare in fear, all of them sensing how overwhelmingly powerful Frieza is now, and in an instant, Frieza flies up and impales Krillin's chest on his horn.**

**Frieza begins to shake his head to impale Krillin further on his horn and laughs at Krillin's wails of pain. And after Krillin passes out, Frieza shakes him off and Gohan watches in horror as Krillin falls in the water beneath them and disappears.**

Tony and Pepper go pale in the face as they see the sadism inflicted on the man who was Gohan's rock during this whole Namek nightmare, but are then shocked to see memory Gohan's reaction.

**Gohan tries to fly down to save Krillin from drowning or bleeding out, but when Frieza gets in his way and taunts the boy saying his friend is already dead, Gohan snaps once more.**

**"YOU!....ANNIIIMAAALLLLL!" Gohan screams, then charges Frieza, unleashing a powerful kick to his head and then devlivers a barrage of punches in rapid succession on the monster's gut, then kicks him to the ground and starts shooting blast after blast in blind rage.**

**Gohan then begins charging a larger blast to try an finish the tyrant "MASENKOOOO-HAA!" Gohan shouts, then fires the blast at the series of explosions where Frieza is, causing a larger explosion and a bright light to flash. And when the smoke cleared, it revealed Frieza facedown in the dirt.**

"Alright Kid! Way to show that bastard who's boss!" Tony excitedly shouts while clapping Gohan on the shoulder.

Before Pepper can 'reprimand' Tony for his language, she and Tony are shocked into silence again at seeing Frieza stand up and brush some dirt off himself as if nothing had happened, then are horrified as the tyrant proceeds to flash step to Gohan, smack him to the ground, then keep him there by slamming his foot onto the boy's head and begin to slowly push down.

Pepper covers her mouth to keep from screaming, and Tony gets a look of pure rage on his face.

They continue to watch everything, from Krillin saving Gohan then Dende healing him.

To Piccolo showing up and holding his own against the monster, until Frieza transformed again and started rag dolling the namekian, triggering Gohan to fire a full power blast, only for it to be deflected by the alien.

To Frieza transforming into his final form and launching an energy beam at Dende, instantly killing the namekian child. 

"Why did he do that!? The poor little green bean wasn't a threat to him!" Tony shouts in anger.

"He noticed Dende was healing us, and he didn't like that." Gohan answers.

The playback continues to Vegeta attempting to fight Frieza claiming he was a Super Saiyan, but is quickly overwhelmed and mercilessly beaten down by Frieza as Gohan, Krillin, and Piccolo watch, helpless to do anything.

To Goku showing up, and Frieza shooting an energy beam through Vegeta's chest.

To Vegeta's dying words to Goku and him sending Gohan, Krillin, and Piccolo off. They comply and try to keep up as Goku and Frieza fight.

As they watch the battle, it at first seems like Goku is holding his own, but then Frieza reveals he has only been using 1% of his full power and decides to jump to 50%, he then begins thrashing Goku.

Running out of options, Goku decides to try the spirit bomb while Piccolo tries to distract the frost demon until Goku charged enough power.

Miraculously, the attack lands, seemingly killing Frieza.

"Yes! That's got to do it, right!?" Tony asks in a hopeful tone.

Gohan doesn't answer and just lets the memory playback continue.

**Gohan's Memory Namek Spirit Bomb Aftermath:**

**Gohan and Krillin manage to fly over to Piccolo and Goku to join the celebration, but just when they're about to leave to find Bulma and head home, Krillin freezes and goes pale in the face.**

**"Krillin...what's wrong?" Goku asks his friend.**

**"Fa....fa....Frieza!" Krillin shouts, terrified.**

**Everyone else turns to where Krillin is looking and sees the alien, battered and bruised, but still alive.**

**Frieza points a finger at Goku and fires a beam at the saiyan, but Piccolo shoves Goku out of the way and is ran through by the beam instead, and drops to the ground, unconscious.**

**Gohan freezes in terror and Goku begins trembling in anger.**

**It only gets worse as Frieza shoots Krillin with a small energy sphere, and then telekineticly flings him into the air.**

**"Krillin!" Gohan shouts in fear.**

**"Frieza! Stop this!" Goku screams.**

**Frieza simply closes his hand into a fist, and the last thing they hear, is Krillin screaming "HELP ME! AUGHH!" Then to Goku and Gohan's horror, the spot where their friend was is engulfed in an explosion. And when the smoke cleared, there was nothing left.**

**Frieza, with a sadistic smile cheerily says "Pop goes the weasel."**

"THAT PIECE OF-" Tony shouts in rage, but again manages to stop himself from swearing in front of Gohan.

Tears begin to fall from Pepper's eyes.

Gohan again chooses to say nothing and continue the play back.

**"I won't....let you...GET AWAY WITH THIS!!!" Goku shouts, then his hair spikes up and it and his aura turn gold, his eyes turn green, and he gives Frieza a glare that has the tyrant shaking in fear.**

"Gohan, what just happened to your dad?" Tony asks.

"When a saiyan with a high enough power level experiences strong emotions like grief or rage, they go through this transformation called 'Super Saiyan' that drastically increases their strength and power level." Gohan explains.

"Can you do that as well?" Pepper asks.

"Yes." Gohan quickly answers, then they all go back to silently watching the memories.

From Goku ordering Gohan to take Piccolo back to his ship, find Bulma, and head back to earth without him.

To Gohan managing to follow his father's order, but before taking off, senses his father's energy signature dissappear and makes a choice.

**Gohan's Memory Goku's ship:**

**"Gohan what are you doing? We've got to go, the planet's about to blow!" Bulma shouts, seeing Gohan about to leave the ship.**

**"I have to stay Bulma. Think about it, with dad gone, I'm the last saiyan alive, and Frieza will hunt me to the ends of the universe to finish the saiyan race off. So I can't risk leading him back to earth. I need to try and finish this now, I mean Frieza should be pretty wiped after fighting my dad, so I may be able to pull it off. Leave now Bulma, I'm going, goodbye!" Gohan explains, then flies off before Bulma can try to talk him out of it.**

'Does this kid ever put himself before others?" Tony thinks to himself in frustration at seeing the boy who was only 5 years old at the time risk his life for the good of others time and time again.

"Oh Gohan, you brave brave boy." Pepper says, seeing the child's resolve.

They continue watching, from Gohan finding and trying to delay Frieza until Namek's explosion.

To Goku reappearing and ordering Gohan back to the ship.

To Gohan and everyone who was brought back to life by earth's Dragon Balls on Namek being teleported to Earth and finding out about the plan King Kai, Kami, Guru, and Goku thought up so the super saiyan could fight Frieza without worrying about bystanders getting hurt.

To using Namek's new Dragon Balls to bring back Krillin and their friends who were killed during Nappa and Vegeta's invasion on earth to life, and attempting to teleport Goku home after finding out he got off Namek before it exploded, only for him to refuse, promising he'll come back later.

To the year and half of peace waiting for Goku to return, only for Frieza, who Goku spared, to arrive on earth first with his father King Cold in tow, but both being immediately killed by a teenage super saiyan boy that no one knew.

To Goku returning to earth shortly after and talking to the teenager to learn he was a time traveler from 17 years in the future, here to warn them about Goku's incoming heart virus and the androids who were far stronger than Frieza that would appear and slaughter them all if they didn't prepare.

To the 3 years of training, getting ready for said androids, and seeing Trunks' time traveling causing a bunch of ripple effects, resulting in more androids than in the son of Vegeta and Bulma's own timeline.

To discovering the second time machine that brought Cell to their timeline and the monstrous creation going city to city absorbing innocent bystanders to gain strength so he could absorb #17 and #18 in order to achieve his 'perfect' form.

To Goku bringing Gohan, Vegeta, and Trunks to Kami's lookout to train in the hyberbolic time chamber.

**Gohan's Memory Gohan's first Super Saiyan transformation:**

**Gohan, while sparring with his father shouts "You have to give it your all dad or our time here will have been for nothing! It's now or never there is no in between!" at Goku, trying to push the man into dropping the kid gloves.**

**It appears to work as Goku powers up to Super Saiyan and charges a Kamehameha wave and launches it at Gohan.**

**As the boy is trying to hold off and deflect the blast he thinks to himself 'No, I've...I've been letting people down my whole life!'**

**Gohan flashes back to the Saiyan invasion and the fights on Namek as he thinks to himself 'How many times have I let my friends down when they needed me?' 'And how many of my friends have gotten hurt, because I had been too weak, too scared to help them!?' Then flashes back to Krillin's death on Namek 'Krillin I'm so sorry, I have to be strong! If I can't do this, then Dad, Krillin, everyone, I'm going to lose them all!'**

Tony and Pepper, looking at Gohan in sympathy after hearing his self-effacing thoughts in the memory playback continue to watch as the younger version of him on the screen transforms into a Super Saiyan.

"Damn kiddo, you are something else!" Tony tells Gohan, hoping to boost the kid's clearly low self esteem, if even a little.

"Uhh...thanks Tony." Gohan replies, then thinks to himself 'You're not going to think that for long.'

Pepper, deciding not to admonish Tony for the swear or say anything just places a hand on the boy's shoulder, having an idea of what Gohan is thinking and waiting to see what he's so worried and seemingly ashamed about them seeing and wanting to show him her support.

Gohan gives Tony and Pepper a small smile and gets back to it.

They again just watch in silence from Gohan and Goku exiting the time chamber and hearing about the 'Cell Games'.

To everyone's frustration at Goku for not explaining his plan for beating Cell.

To the unexpected trip to 'New Vegeta' and barely surviving the fight with Broly.

To the day of the games, watching the circus act that was Hercule.

To Goku and Cell's battle from the start, to Goku surrendering and naming Gohan as Cell's next opponent, and even giving the monster a senzu bean so he could fight the boy at 100%.

"My God! Does the man not understand the gravity of the situation? What is his problem!?" Tony shouts in rage at Goku wanting to give Cell a 'Fair Fight'.

"That was my dad just being himself, fighting was important to him." Gohan half-heartedly tries to explain his dad's reasoning. 

"I'm sorry Gohan, but I agree with Tony, Goku is just being reckless and irresponsible." Pepper says.

"What I do is much worse." Gohan replies. 

Before Tony or Pepper can ask what Gohan means by that, he continues the playback.

They watch Gohan, while apprehensive, still adhering his father's request and beginning to fight Cell alone.

To Gohan trying to warn Cell about what will happen if he pushes the boy to his breaking point, but instead of being scared, Cell is excited about the prospect and attacks Gohan, hoping to draw his power out.

To android #16's attempt to end Cell, only for it to fail and being blown to pieces by the monster.

To Cell creating the Cell Jrs to torture Gohan's dad and friends.

To #16's head being tossed near Gohan and begging the boy to fight back.

**Gohan's Memory #16's Final Words:**

**"Android 16?" Gohan asks, surprised to see the android's head suddenly land in front of him.**

**"Let it go Gohan...it is not a sin, to fight for the right cause...I know you are gentle, that you do not like to hurt, but there are those...that words alone can not reach....Cell is such a being..you have the power, my scanners saw it. Please....protect the life I loved. Just..let it go." The android begs.**

**Seeing this, Cell smirks and mocks "Yuck...So kind of you to help 16, but I'm going to do this my way." as he walks up to #16's head and then crushes it underfoot.**

**'16, you loved life...and you gave up everything to save it...and you were just an android...I let you die...I can't do that, I won't watch anymore....I....I feel it slipping....AND I WON'T WATCH THIS ANYMORE!' Gohan internally declares, then begins to power up farther than anyone else had ever seen.**

Tony and Pepper watch in sadness at hearing Gohan's thoughts, and amazement at Gohan's transformation to Super Saiyan 2, and as he proceeds to effortlessly slaughter the Cell Jrs and begin to rag doll Cell around with that cold and enraged expression.

Then seeing Gohan play with Cell to torture the monster and watching it backfire as Cell gets ready to self detonate, planning on taking the whole planet with him.

To Goku sacrificing himself to save everyone.

To Cell returning, killing Trunks, wounding Gohan who gets in the way of a blast that was meant for Vegeta, and getting ready to destroy the earth again with a fully charged Kamehameha wave. 

To Goku encouraging Gohan telepathically through King Kai, and the resulting beam struggle where Gohan manages to completely annihilate Cell to the point he can't regenerate.

To undoing Cell's damage with the Dragon Balls, Goku's decision to stay dead, Goten's birth, and finally, to Broly's surprise return, Chi-Chi's death, and asking Gohan not to bring her back either, and Gohan's new Super Saiyan form and the subsequent beam struggle with Broly and the portal being created and sucking the boys inside.

After sitting in silence for a few minutes in response to the conclusion, Gohan walks over to Goten who fell asleep at some point, scoops him up and asks "Now that you've seen everything, are you sure you want anything to do with me?"

"Are you kidding kid? Why would any of that make us want to toss you out on your own?" Tony asks, shocked at Gohan seemingly blaming himself for everything that occurred. 

"What do you mean?" Gohan asks, confused.

"Gohan, my god! From the time you were a toddler you were separated from, or just plain ditched by your parents and thrown to the biggest wolves imaginable. And you just rolled with the puches, did the best you could to help others, never worrying about your own wellbeing, and fought with everything you had against threats you should have never been exposed to. Then were straight up abandoned by both of your parents when you needed them most! How is any of that your fault!?" Tony rants, trying to get Gohan to see reason. 

While Gohan stands in place thinking about what Tony just said, Pepper gets him in another hug and Gohan is surprised to find himself and her crying.

"Tony is absolutely right Gohan, none of what happened is your fault, do you hear us?" Pepper asks.

"Yeah, I think I do." Gohan replies then feels Tony place a hand on his head and hears him say "Good, now if your going to stay with us for the foreseeable future while we try to figure out this portal stuff, we're going to need a cover story, create a paper trail for you and the little monkey here, and get you caught up on this Earth's history so you don't stick out. So are you all ready to get started?" 

"I'll have JARVIS help me get the proper documentation and cover story set up. That ok with you JARVIS?" Pepper says in response to Tony's question. 

"Absolutely Ms. Potts, I shall get started immediately." JARVIS answers.

"Great. Gohan, shall we get started?" Tony asks with a smirk.

Gohan gets a hopeful smile on his face and answers "Yes sir."

But just when everyone is moving out to begin to get things ready, JARVIS informs them "Sir, Mr. Stane has just arrived at the front gate."

Tony and Pepper look at each other, and in unison say "Oh Shit!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love Goku I really do but let's face it he is a shitty parent. Also I know I rushed through Gohan's past but I just really wanted to get through it as fast as I could.


	6. The Next Step

 Chapter 6

* * *

"Who is Mr. Stane?" Gohan asks.

"His full name is Obidiah Stane. He was my dad's right hand man when he was in charge of Stark Industries. Now he's my buissnes partner." Tony explains.

Tony and Pepper begin to head upstairs to let the man in, when Tony turns to Gohan and says "Gohan, while I trust Obi with some things, I don't think he should know you and Goten are here. At least not until we get your covers set up, and he definitely can't know about your powers. So can you hide in here until he leaves?"

"Sure Tony, no problem." Gohan answers.

Tony gives the boy a thumbs up, then heads up to greet Obidiah.

"There you are my boy." Obidiah says when Tony opens the door.

"Hey Obi, what's up?" Tony greets in response.

"I just wanted to see your progress on the Jericho, make sure we're on schedule." The large man answers. 

"Don't worry Obi, it'll be ready. Besides, we've still got nearly 6 months before the demonstration." Tony reassures, hoping to keep the man from going to the lab.

"And I have the utmost faith in you son, but you know how the board gets without constant updates. I'd like to see it so I can keep them out of your hair." Obidiah replies.

Seeing no way to deter the man without him getting suspicious, Tony gives in "Alright, let's get it over with, give the vultures what they want." Then begins to lead Obidiah down to the lab.

**With Gohan and Goten:**

As Tony and Pepper dissappear upstairs, Gohan gets curious and asks "JARVIS? If it's ok, could you bring up the live feed for upstairs?"

"Certainly young sir Gohan." JARVIS answers and a screen appears in front of Gohan as the man Tony was talking about enters the room. 

The boy is then surprised by Goten, who starts crying hysterically.

Gohan begins rocking his brother in his arms in an attempt to calm the baby down "Goten, what's the matter?"

While checking to see if Goten needed a change or was hungry, it occurs to Gohan, 'This is exactly what happened right before Broly showed up, could it be?' On a hunch, Gohan extends his senses, and feels pure darkness. Surprisingly, all of it coming from the man who Tony just let in.

'This darkness...It's almost overwhelming. I've never felt so much malice and ill-will from a regular human before...is this what's got Goten so upset?' Gohan wonders to himself, then sees that Tony is bringing the strange man down to the lab. "Oh no."

Gohan quickly flies up to a ceiling corner in an attempt to hide and rocks Goten back and forth to hopefully quiet the baby.

Luckily, as he senses Tony and Obidiah about to enter, Goten begins to chew on his tail and calms down 'Oh thank goodness' the boy thinks to himself as the door opens and Tony and Obidiah enter the lab.

Tony leads Obidiah to a monitor and brings up the Jericho specs "Ok Obi, there you go, you can tell the board I'm on schedule." trying to get him out as quick as possible. 

While Obidiah looks at the screen, Tony takes the chance to look around to see if he can spot where Gohan is hiding himself and Goten, when he hears Gohan's voice in his head 'Tony, look up at the corner behind you.'

He follows the instructions, when he does, his eyes widen, and his eyebrows shoot up at seeing Gohan floating in the air holding Goten.

'Sorry Tony, it was all I could think of.' Tony hears Gohan's voice in his head.

'Don't sweat it kid.....you can hear me, right?' Tony thinks, hoping the boy can hear him.

'Yeah I can hear you. I'm using a trick Piccolo taught me, as long as I keep it up we'll be able to communicate like this.' Gohan telepathically explains.

Tony turns back to appear to be looking at the Jericho specs with Obidiah 'Good, just stay up there and I should be able to get Obi out of here without him looking your way.' Tony tells Gohan then asks aloud "You got what you need Obi?"

The screen dissappears, Obidiah turns to Tony and responds "Yes, I can go assure those worry warts that everything's going fine. But you know, it would be easier if you just send me updates that I can show to them." 

"Yeah but it wouldn't be as fun, I gotta keep those rats on their toes. Besides, this way there's no risk the blueprints can leak out since I'm the only one with access to them." Tony replies as he starts directing Obidiah out of the lab.

At hearing the exchange between the two men, Gohan, having kept his senses extended feels the anger and malice from Obidiah increase, and it's all directed at Tony.

'Isn't this guy supposed to be Tony's friend? Why would he direct such negative feelings at him?' Gohan thinks, but keeps Tony from hearing.

Then, seemingly also feeling the darkness from Obidiah grow, Goten releases his tail from his mouth and starts to tear up again.

'Oh no, not now.' 'Tony please hurry, Goten's about to start crying and I don't know if I can stop him.' Gohan warns Tony.

Hearing this, Tony tries to rush Obidiah out of the lab "Come on Obi, how about we have some lunch upstairs?"

"Sure son, that sounds great." Obidiah replies.

Tony and Obidiah then start to head out of the lab, but right before they get out the door, Goten begins to cry aloud.

'Shit!' 'Crapbaskets!' Tony and Gohan mentally exclaim in unison as Obidiah turns around, looking for the source of the crys.

"Tony, is there a baby in here?" He asks.

Realizing the cat's out of the bag, Gohan drops to the ground and walks out to reveal himself.

"Uhh...heh, hello sir." Gohan greets Obidiah.

"Tony, please don't tell me these kids are the result of one of your flings?" Obidiah asks, disregarding Gohan's greeting.

As Tony is mentally scrambling to think of an explanation, Pepper walks in and says "Of course they're not Tony's Mr. Stane, they're the sons of an old friend of mine."

'Nice save Pepper.' Gohan telepathically tells Pepper, linking her to himself and Tony. 

'Gohan?...What's going on?' Pepper internally asks.

'Pep, the kid's using some mind magic to communicate with us.' Tony explains, assuming Pepper can hear him.

'Tony?..Well that's good, this way we can workshop a cover story while we talk to Obidiah.' Pepper replies.

"One of your friend's kids Pepper? Well where are they?" Obidiah asks.

"Well sir, that's why we're here. Our mom and dad recently passed away and they were our only family. So when Pepper heard, she insisted on bringing us here." Gohan explains.

'That's good right?' Gohan asks his friends.

'Yeah kiddo, we can roll with that.' Tony replies then tells Obidiah "I told Pepper that Gohan and Goten could stay here Obi."

"Gohan? Goten? What the hell kind of names are those? What nationality are these boys?" Obidiah belts out back to back, aiming a suspicious glare at Gohan.

'Tony, Pepper, I don't know what he means by nationality. The earth I come from only has one nation, divided into sectors. What do I tell him?' Gohan asks, while sensing Obidiah's darkness grow even more.

'I think I have an idea.' Pepper replies "They're Japanese names Mr. Stane, and please watch your language." 

At that moment Goten begins wailing loudly again.

"Obi, let's head upstairs, we can talk about this over lunch, looks like the little guy might need it." Tony tries, using Goten's waterworks to at least get them out of the lab.

"Alright son, let's eat." Obidiah answers.

Everyone then begins to head upstairs, when a thought occurs to Gohan 'Tony, Pepper, I'm guessing it's not a good thing for Mr. Stane to see Goten's tail, what do we do?'

'Crap! I forgot about that, did you already cut tail holes out for all of the little monkey's clothes?' Tony asks.

'I did, what should we do?' Gohan asks back.

'How about this? Tony, you keep Obi busy in the kitchen, while Gohan, you come with me, we'll tell him Goten needs a quick bath and then we can just wrap him in a towel until Obi leaves.' Pepper offers.

'That'll work Pep. I'll keep Obi occupied.' Tony replies.

They make it upstairs when Pepper starts their plan "The boys and I will be with you shortly Mr. Stane. Little Goten needs a quick bath, won't be more than a few minutes." She explains, then starts guiding Gohan in the direction of the bathroom without waiting for a response.

"Come on Obi, let's go see what we got in stock." Tony says, putting an arm around Obidiah's shoulders and starts leading him to the kitchen.

**With Pepper, Gohan, and Goten:**

"That was quick thinking Pepper." Gohan compliments.

"I'm used to getting Tony out of unusual spots, this wasn't that different." Pepper replies with a satisfied smirk.

When they enter the bathroom, as soon as the door is closed Pepper asks "Ok Gohan, what's wrong? I could see the look on your face whenever Obi talked. It was only for a second, but it was there, and it reminded me of the way you looked at the monsters from your memories."

Gohan gets a grim look while beginning to undress his brother to start bathing him and explains "I told you, Tony, and Happy that when you master Ki you can sense the intentions and true nature of a person. When Obidiah walked in the house, Goten started to cry and it reminded me of when Broly attacked us before we got sent here. So I checked and all I could feel from him was pure darkness, malice, ill-will, and all of it directed at Tony, so it has me worried." Gohan explains.

"At Tony!? are you sure?" Pepper asks, a little fearful.

"Positive, and Pepper, I've never felt so much darkness from a normal human before, ever." Gohan responds.

"Buh...bah" Goten mumbles, seemingly agreeing with Gohan.

"Do you think Goten felt it too? Is that possible?" Pepper asks.

"I think that might be the case, Goten reacted to Obidiah the same way he did to Broly, and both times he did it before even I noticed." Gohan answers. 

They both look down at Goten, who is happily splashing around in the tub, oblivious to what Gohan and Pepper are wondering.

"What do you think that means Gohan?" Pepper questions.

"My best guess would be that maybe since my dad was incomparably more powerful, a super saiyan even, when he and my mom...you know...'made' Goten-" Gohan stops, blushing a bit before continuing"-than he was when they..'made' me, it could mean Goten's potential ability is coming out quicker than mine did."

"Is that a good thing?" Pepper asks.

"It could be. He has the potential to be earth's most powerful protector, and I will need to teach him to control his power for the safety of all, but it'll be up to Goten if that is what he wants to do with his life." Gohan replies, thinking back to how that choice was made for him when he was so young.

"It's your choice too you know. While sometimes there may be no other option than for you both to fight, but that doesn't mean it's all you have to be Gohan, I hope you know that." Pepper tells the half-saiyan.

"Yeah...thanks Pepper." Gohan replies with a smile, but then remembering the problem that Tony is currently alone with asks "What do you think Obidiah's problem is with Tony? I thought they were supposed to be friends?"

With a frown, Pepper gives her theory "Tony's parents were killed in a car wreck when he was still in college, leaving him the sole heir to Stark Industries. But if Tony had been with his parents that night and died along with them, Obidiah would have it all without having to answer to anyone. Maybe he resents Tony for that."

"That's awful...all of that darkness just because he isn't as rich as he could have been, he's just like Frieza." Gohan says.

"Awful indeed...but unfortunately not uncommon." Pepper replies.

"We have to warn Tony." Gohan declares.

"Your right and we will, after Obi leaves." Pepper agrees.

**With Tony and Obidiah:**

The men arrive in the kitchen and Tony begins looking through the cabinets while Obidiah sits at the table.

"Now Tony, these boys are just here temporarily right?" Obidiah asks.

"Possibly Obi, but if me and Pep can't find a good place for them, I don't see the problem in letting them stay here." Tony answers.

Obidiah gets a dark look for a moment but dials it back when Tony turns to him "Son, of course it'll be a problem. If your spotted with them the press will have a field day and spread rumors that they're your illegitimate spawn. Do you want that getting around?"

"Honestly Obi, that'd be the most tame thing those buzzards have said about me in a while. So again, I don't see the problem." Tony counters.

"Tony, don't be ridiculous, just send the urchin to child services and wash your hands of this, it'll be for the best." Obidiah orders.

At hearing what Obi just called the boys, Tony gives the man a deadly glare and lays down the law "Now listen Obi, those boys have been through a special kind of hell and I won't tolerate anyone talking about them like that! I will try to find a good place for them, but if that doesn't work out they are welcome here for as long as they want! Got it?"

Obidiah abruptly stands up and grits out "Tony, we both know you are the last person who should be taking care of children!"

"That's not true at all!" Both men hear, then turn to see Pepper and Gohan walking in, with Goten in his brother's arms while the older boy continues "Tony is one of the kindest people I've ever met. He's more than capable of taking care of kids."

Obidiah aims a glare at Gohan which triggers Goten into crying again.

Undeterred, the man walks up to the boys and says "Listen boy, Tony is a very busy man and he can't be wasting time tending to a disrespectful child and a little brat that won't shut up!"

Gohan returns Obidiah's glare with a death stare of his own, freezing the man in his tracks "Listen sir, you can insult me all you want, but I won't tolerate any hostility directed at my friends or my brother. So choose your next words carefully."

Then giving in to his rage, Gohan's eyes turn green as if about to go super saiyan, but he quickly calms himself down, hoping the man didn't notice.

Obidiah shudders, then quickly composes himself, and turns back to Tony "Well son, we can discuss this matter later. I'll go inform the board on your progress with the Jericho." Then he heads out the door.

"Damn kiddo! That was badass!" Tony exclaims, extending his arm out for a high five.

"Thanks Tony." Gohan replies with a small blush, and returns the gesture.

Pepper then walks up to Tony and lightly smacks the man on the head.

"Pep! What was that for?" Tony complains.

"For cursing in front of the boys. Honestly, I'm gonna have to enforce a swear jar." Pepper answers.

"Wonderful idea Ms. Potts. With that you'd be able to put both of the young sirs through any college of their choice in no time if their stay becomes indefinite." JARVIS praises.

Instead of snarking in response, Tony just laughs along with Pepper and Gohan at JARVIS' quip.

Remembering that Obidiah was now gone, Gohan tells Tony "I'm sorry to ruin the mood, but Tony, I need to tell you something."

Seeing the boy was serious Tony asks "What is it kid?"

"That man, Obidiah...when he entered the house, Goten started crying and it reminded me of when Broly attacked us, so I checked him out myself and all I could sense from him was pure darkness, malice, ill-will, and all of it was aimed at you." Gohan informs.

"What?...Obi?....I know he can be a huge asshole, but I never thought..." Tony leaves unfinished.

"I'm sorry Tony, I know you saw him as a friend." Gohan apologizes.

"It's not your fault Gohan, I appreciate the heads up." Tony replies with a distant look.

Goten looks directly at Tony and starts to shift in Gohan's arms as if trying to get to the man. 

"Wuh..yaa." Goten mumbles.

Tony, lost in thought doesn't notice. But Pepper, seeing this, motions for Gohan to bring the baby over to hopefully cheer Tony up.

Gohan complies with a smile and when he gets right in front of Tony, Goten starts reaching at Tony's arm.

Coming out of his head, Tony looks down and sees Goten looking him in the eye, mumbling and reaching out to him.

"Heh..thanks for the sentiment little monkey. Don't worry, I'm ok." Tony says to the boy, ruffling his hair.

Goten laughs then wraps his hand around one of Tony's fingers. And at that moment, the towel slips off the boy, revealing his birthday suit.

Everyone starts laughing again and Tony manages to get out "You should get this little jaybird into some clothes, best preserve his modesty."

"You got it, we'll be back in a bit." Gohan replies, and goes to get his brother dressed.

With the boys out of earshot Tony asks "JARVIS, can you double check all home and office files for tampering, copying, and anything else you can think of?"

"Right away sir." JARVIS replies. 

"What are you thinking Tony?" Pepper asks.

"If Gohan is right, then I need to see if Obi has done anything he's not supposed to, and keep a close eye on him from now on." Tony explains. 

"Good thinking." Pepper replies.

When Gohan arrives with a freshly dressed Goten in tow, JARVIS informs everyone "I've got grim news sir."

"What is it JARVIS?" Tony asks.

"I found a well hidden program attached to your home server, and it has recorded all the goings on in the lab." JARVIS answers.

"Wait, does that mean that?.." Gohan attempts to ask.

Knowing what Gohan was going to ask, Tony answers "Yeah kid, it means he'll see everything that the B.A.R.F recorded from your memories."

"Can't JARVIS erase it before Obidiah checks it?" Pepper frantically asks.

"I'm afraid not Ms. Potts, without access to Mr. Stane's computer I can't get to anything the program recorded." JARVIS replies for Tony.

"Ya, and I doubt he used his company issued laptop. If he's smart he'll have it on a secured private server, so it won't be easy to get to. I don't think we'll be able to stop him from seeing everything about the boys." Tony solemnly adds.

"What should we do Tony?" Gohan worriedly asks.

Seeing the vulnerable and scared look on Gohan's face, Tony puts aside his feelings of betrayal and decides "For now we'll leave his spyware intact and when in the lab we'll act as if we don't know Obi's crooked, and see how he plays his hand. But while we do that, Pepper, I want you to look into Obi in anyway you can at work, see If there's any trace of what he's up to there."

"You got it Tony." Pepper replies.

Tony walks over to Gohan and puts a hand on his shoulder and tries to reassure the boy "Don't worry kiddo, we've got you and the little guy's backs."

Gohan looks up at Tony and smiles "Thank you Tony, Pepper, your putting yourselves at risk for me and Goten, even without the problem of trying to figure out if it's possible to find a way for us to get back to where we came from, now there's this. Who knows what Obidiah could get from my memory recordings."

"It'll be ok, we can take whatever that two-faced bastard throws at us." Tony tries to reassure.

"Tony!" Pepper scolds.

"Right, right, no bad words, sorry Pepper. JARVIS, create a new program, 'Swear Jar', and put 100$ down on it for each time I slip up in front of the young ears." Tony says, trying to lighten the mood.

"Of course sir, with this conversation alone were already at 300$." JARVIS responds.

"Now that we've got a plan, what should we do next?" Pepper asks.

"Since we've got the serious business taken care of for the time being, I suggest we eat." Tony casually replies.

"Foo...foo." Goten agrees.

"Well looks like I got one taker, Pep? Gohan?" Tony asks, amused.

"Sounds great." Gohan answers.

"Sure." Pepper concurs.

"Awesome! let's pig out!" Tony exclaims.

They all head to kitchen to do just that.

**With Obidiah:**

Obidiah closes his laptop with an intrigued smirk and says aloud to himself "Well Tony my boy, looks like you stumbled upon an interesting pair of golden eggs."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case this chapter didn't show it enough, I have next to no knowledge about computers or computer related stuff, I hope what I put makes at least some sense.


	7. The Birth of Ironman

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Months go by as Tony, Pepper, Gohan, and Goten adjust to their situation.

Chapter 7 

* * *

6 Months go by as Tony, Pepper, Gohan, and Goten adjust to their situation.

Over that time Tony is balancing on a razors edge.

Working with Gohan on trying to figure out how to open a portal back to the boys' original home, showing Gohan the pop-culture of his own home while having JARVIS catch the boy up on the history of this earth in the meantime, and trying to keep up appearances with the media and Obidiah, so far succeeding in keeping the boys out of the paparazzi's sight.

As the time passed, Tony, while frustrated at being stuck on the portal problem, he was getting more and more reluctant to actually solve it.

Enjoying his movie nights with Pepper and the boys, Fascinated by the great technologies from Gohan's home that the boy was introducing him to, even liking the martial arts training Gohan insisted on giving the man, wanting him to be prepared if Obidiah's intentions turn violent, and especially loving just hanging out with Gohan and Goten, watching the baby grow, fascinated at his developing quicker than a normal baby, already walking, sometimes talking, and on one surprising occasion floating.

Tony realizes that he's starting to see Gohan and Goten as his own, and while grateful to the boys for helping him see the truth about Obidiah, he knows that they and Pepper are the main contributors to why he hasn't fallen in to a depression from Obi's betrayal, similar to the one he went through when his parents died. And he wonders how he'll fare if and when the time comes to send them back.

What Tony hadn't realized yet was that Gohan was also getting more and more reluctant to go back home, loving the time he spent with Tony, Pepper, Happy, and Rhodey (once they met).

Amazed by this Earth's forms of entertainment, especially the cartoons and movies that had Goten smiling the entire time they played on screen.

Enjoying learning how different this earth was compared to his own. From the music, some wild and erratic, to some being calm and soothing. After having a nightmare about a memory, he'd always watch the video JARVIS recorded of Tony trying to teach Goten to dance after he saw the baby sway and jump to some pop song playing, while himself and Pepper are laughing in the background for a smile.

Fascinated by this Earth's geography, it's multiple continents and the differing cultures within them. 

While Gohan misses Piccolo, Krillin, Dende, Bulma, and the rest of his friends, he knows that even with his Grandfather's revivial, he'd be so busy with the responsibilities of his kingdom, he wouldn't really have time for him or Goten if they got back home. So there will basically be no family waiting for him to return. And after half a year, Gohan is starting to see Tony and Pepper as family, especially after he saw how much effort they put into celebrating his birthday when it came around, to how kind they've been to him and Goten, and how much Goten clearly loves them.

Gohan is beginning to wonder if it's even worth still trying to go back to the empty house at the 439 district, when he's feeling more like this new world is his home with every passing day.

Then the day comes when Tony has to leave for the Jericho demonstration.

**Stark Malibu Home, with Tony, Pepper, Gohan, and Goten:**

Tony carries his luggage to the door, then turns to face Pepper and the boys to say his goodbyes "Welp the day of reckoning is upon us." He jokes, hoping to keep things light.

"Tony, be serious. This presentation is very important, for more than one reason." Pepper scolds.

"I know Pep, I know." Tony flippantly replies.

"Please stay on guard Tony. Obidiah has been flying under the radar so far, but he might use this as an opportunity to try something." Gohan pleads.

Tony ruffles Gohan's hair and answers "Don't worry kiddo. I'll be careful, I promise. Besides, if someone tries anything, I'll have some kickass skills to fall back on, courtesy of you."

"Tony!" Pepper chastises.

Tony winces and replies "Sorry Pepper-pot. JARVIS, what's that put the 'Swear Jar' total up to?"

"10,000$ sir, I must say I'm surprised at how low it is." JARVIS casually answers.

"I'm hurt JARVIS, really, give me some credit." Tony playfully replies.

"Ki..kik..ahhs." Goten mumbles.

"Oh, see what you've started?" Pepper asks, hearing Goten's attempt at cursing.

Tony and Gohan just look at each other, then burst out laughing until Pepper levels a glare at them both.

Getting serious again, Gohan asks "Are you sure I can't come with you? You've made great progress considering how stretched thin you've been lately, but it wouldn't hurt to have back-up."

Tony surprises Gohan by pulling the boy into a hug and says "I'm sure Gohan, I'll be ok. You've been on the front lines more than you ever should have. Let me handle this. And if worse comes to worse, even though you know I'm not great at it yet, I'll flare up my Ki to let you know somethings wrong, ok?"

Gohan shifts Goten to one arm and hugs Tony back "Ok, I get it, but if something does happen, don't hesitate to call me, ok?"

Tony pats Gohan's back and replies "I promise kid." 

They both back up and Tony crouches down to Goten's eye level "I'll see you later, ok monkey? Hold down the fort, no wild parties, and take care of your brother and Pep for me will ya?"

"Ya!" Goten replies, then grabs Tony's nose and squeezes.

"Ahh! Ahh! Ok monkey, ok. You drive a hard bargain, I'll overlook any wild parties this time around. Just release the merchandise, alright?" Tony asks in a nasally voice.

"Ya!" Goten shouts again, releasing his grip. 

Tony looks up at Gohan and Pepper, both poorly trying to contain their laughter.

"Go on, let it out. But I'm telling you, this little guy is a hell of a negotiator." Tony defends, as he stands back up.

Gohan starts laughing again while Pepper scolds "Tony!" but has a smile on her face, seeing that Tony's just trying to cheer Gohan up.

"10,100$ now sir." JARVIS informs.

"Uh-oh, I'd better head out now, before I rack up anymore for the 'Swear Jar'." Tony winks at Pepper as he opens the door and begins to head out. Then adds."Later everybody." 

Gohan, still chuckling a bit, waves and says "See you soon Tony. Say bye-bye to Tony Goten."

"Bye-bye Dada!" Goten shouts, startling everyone.

Shocked, but not wanting to show it, Tony rushes to his car and speeds to the airport.

Tony is so lost in thought, he doesn't really come to until he hears Rhodey calling his name "Tones, you in there?"

"Ya...ya, what's up Rhodey?" Tony asks.

"I should be asking you that, you've been like a zombie the whole flight. Did something happen? Rhodey asks back.

"It's the little guy. Right before I left, he called me...'Dada'." Tony explains.

"Ahhh, so it finally happened." Rhodey replies with a smirk.

"Rhodey! This is serious!" Tony exclaims.

"Yes I agree, you can finally stop pretending those boys aren't yours and just officially adopt them already." Rhodey casually answers back. 

"Come on platypus, you know I'm not cut out to be a father." Tony tries, then is immediately slapped on the back of his head.

Tony shoots his friend a look, but before he can attempt to argue his point, Rhodey says "Tony, you are not going to seriously sit there and say that you don't adore those boys, and before you argue it, I was there for Gohan's birthday party, and he showed me you and Goten's 'rocking out' video-"

"That little traitor!" Tony interrupts then receives another smack to the head.

"And those boys adore you just as much man, so just make it official." Rhodey finishes.

"Honestly Honey Bear, I do like having them around. Even though he's only 12, Gohan is smart enough to keep up with my tech talk and sometimes even helps me workshop ideas. He also has such a good heart despite everything he's lived through. And Goten is always fun, even when Pepper has me on 'toxic waste disposal' duty. The little monkey can always lighten the mood in the room. They're great kids and deserve the best, I just don't think I can give them what they need." Tony explains, then gets smacked a third time.

"Rhodey! Stop smacking me!" Tony demands.

"I will, once you stop being stupid." Rhodey calmly replies.

Tony shoots his friend another glare, but then gives a light smile.

"Alright, I'll give it some thought. Just go easy on my head, I kind of need it." Tony snarks.

"Good." Rhodey responds.

They then both see that they're about to arrive at their destination.

"Well, I guess it's showtime." Tony says while putting on his sunglasses.

**With Pepper, Gohan, and Goten:**

Gohan is sitting on the living room couch, watching Goten happily playing with various toys on the floor in front of him.

'I can't believe Goten called Tony 'Dada', ...though I guess he and Pepper have been the only parental figures Goten's known, and sometimes I can't help seeing them that way either. But...No! I can't waste time worrying about this, I need to concentrate on Tony's Ki signature to make sure he's not in danger.'

Pepper enters the room and sees Gohan with a bleak look on his face. So she walks up to the boy and places a hand on his shoulder, surprised when he jumps, apparently not noticing her approach.

"Gohan are you ok? Something on your mind?" She asks.

Gohan looks up at her "Not much more than usual Pepper, I'll be fine." Then he tries to give her a reassuring smile.

Pepper sits down next to Gohan, and guessing what's got him like this, tries "You know what Goten called Tony may have caught him off guard, but I know he's happy Goten sees him like that, and he would feel the same way if you did too Gohan."

"Yeah, I know. I just feel like it's a betrayal to our mom and dad back home that Goten and I are beginning to see you and Tony as our parents. Besides, if we get a portal to where we came from open we'll have to say goodbye, and the longer it takes the more I'm wondering if it's even worth it. What does it say about me that after only 6 months with you guys, I feel more at home here than I did where me and Goten were born?" Gohan laments.

Pepper pulls the boy into a hug and says "Gohan, I know you love Goku and Chi-Chi, and I'm sure they love you too. But they were also irresponsible, reckless with your safety and well being, and abandoned you to take care of a baby alone. That was very selfish of them. So it's understandable that your second guessing about going back to an empty home even with all the friends you love and miss nearby. What it says about you is that your reluctant to leave a place where you can be the kid you are, and your little brother can grow up with the family you both deserve. Your finally starting to think about what you want for yourself, instead of what everyone else wants."

With watery eyes, Gohan asks in a broken voice "But doesn't that mean I'm being selfish? Dad entrusted me with our earth's safety. I'm the strongest now, don't I have a duty to protect the world I was born in since I have the power to do so?"

Pepper plants a kiss on the top of Gohan's head and answers "Yes, you do have the power to protect, and times may come where you have to use it. But no one has the right to drop the weight and fate of the entire world on one person, especially not on a child. People need to work together to protect and better the world, it's not a job for one person alone. If you want to protect and help people that's fine, but it's your choice. If you want to stay here, thats your choice too. Tony and I would love for you to stay, but if you want to go back to your old home we won't stand in your way. It's all your choice sweetheart and we will support whatever you choose. It's not selfish to decide for yourself what you want to do with your life."

A few tears slip out before Gohan wipes his face with his arm and responds "Thanks Pepper."

"Of course sweetheart." Pepper replies.

Gohan then feels light tapping on his leg. He looks down and sees Goten looking up at him.

"Hey Goten, what's up?" Gohan asks.

"Buh..bubba sad?" Goten asks back.

A little taken aback, Gohan laughs, then picks Goten up, places him on his lap and explains "Don't worry Goten, I just had a bit on my mind, I'm ok now."

Goten blinks, looks at Pepper then back at Gohan and asks "Mama help Bubba?"

Pepper gasps then looks at Gohan as if asking something. Gohan smiles and nods at her, then says to Goten "Yeah Goten, Mama helped Bubba."

Pepper has a few tears of her own fall from her eyes then pulls both boys into another hug.

Just when Gohan's feeling at peace, he feels Tony's Ki signature suddenly spike up.

Gohan and Goten both get worried expressions on their faces and Goten shouts "Bubba! Dada need help!"

Pepper gasps again and asks "Gohan, is Tony in trouble!?"

"Yeah, I think so. He feels anxious, and hurt!" Gohan answers, then asks "JARVIS please get the capsules ready!"

"Right away young sir Gohan." JARVIS replies.

Gohan then moves Goten to Pepper's lap and rushes down to Tony's lab.

"Gohan wait!" Pepper shouts, then runs after the boy with Goten in her arms.

When she enters the lab, Pepper sees Gohan changing into an outfit resembling the ones he wore during his fights in his memory playbacks, then asks "Gohan, what's all this?"

Gohan, while dressing in a gi like his father's, except the undershirt, wristbands, belt, and boots being black, and the overshirt and pants being dark green, explains "When training Tony, I used a technique Piccolo taught me to materialize clothes for us to use. When Tony prepared for this trip, he sewed in a few micro chips in this outfit that will make me invisible to all radars and satellites, so if he needed backup I could come to help without worrying about being spotted."

Gohan grabs a couple of capsules and stores some food, water, and first aid kits inside them, then puts them in his pocket.

He then grabs what looks like an orange outlined, black lensed pair of sunglasses, puts them on, pushes a small button on the top right of them, and they fold out, turning into a visor circled around Gohan's head, covering his eyes and ears.

When Pepper looks at Gohan questioningly again, he explains "Tony was curious about Bulma's capsule technology, so I explained how they worked and we were able to replicate them, and I had some set aside for an emergency like this. Tony also made this visor so I can keep my face hidden, and stay in contact with JARVIS so he can help me navigate around outside, and stay out of civilians' sights."

Pepper gives a hesitant smile and asks "Tony really thought of everything didn't he?"

Gohan gives his own sad smile and answers "Pretty much, I just wish he would have let me come with him, so this wouldn't be necessary."

Goten then speaks up, asking "Bubba help Dada?"

Gohan's smile becomes more genuine as he walks up to Pepper and his brother. He ruffles Goten's hair and answers "Don't worry squirt, Bubba is gonna go get Dada and bring him home, I promise."

Goten smiles and Pepper begs "Please be careful Gohan."

"I will, I'll be back with Tony in no time." Gohan answers as a hole in the ceiling opens up. Gohan then goes Super Saiyan and shoots off through it.

**With Tony:**

Tony sees flashes of riding in the humvee, the gunfire and all the poor, brave, soldiers with him being picked off one by one. Then grabbing one of the fallen soldiers weapons and taking cover while flaring up his Ki to hopefully alert Gohan to his distress. But being so concentrated on that task, he doesn't notice one of his own company's weapons landing right next to him until it's to late to gain enough distance to avoid the blast entirely. Then going in an out of consciousness, hearing people yelling in a language he couldn't understand, then looking down and seeing the hole in his chest with wires coming out of it connected to a car battery.

"NO!" Tony screams as he shoots up from where he was laying unconscious.

"Hey, easy, easy. You need to stay still." Tony hears a nearby voice say.

Tony looks around until he sees a man in the room with him and asks "Who are you?" "Where are we?"

The man answers "My name is Ho Yinsen. I'm the man who saved your life Mr. Stark. As to where we are, we're imprisoned in a cave by a group calling themselves 'The Ten Rings'."

"So you put this thing in my chest?" Tony accuses.

"That 'thing' is an electro magnet keeping the shrapnel from your company's bomb in place so they don't peirce your heart and kill you. Your welcome, though you may soon wish I had just let you die." Yinsen explains.

"Well, thanks I guess. It's preferable to death I suppose, but what do these 'Ten Rings' bastards want with us?" Tony asks in reply.

Before Yinsen can answer, a group of men barge in the room.

One of them walks up to Tony and Yinsen and says something, but Tony is unable to understand the language he's speaking.

"Sorry man, I didn't get any of that." Tony quips.

"Apologies Mr. Stark, I was just saying welcome, and I hope that our accommodations are to your liking." The man says, switching to english.

"Well I hate to sound rude, but I'd have to give the decor and service zero stars, so if you don't mind, I'd like to check out and head home." Tony snarks in reply.

"Sorry Mr. Stark, but I'm going to have to insist you stay, though I will show you the 'resort' outside." The man shoots back, then raises his hand and the men behind him point their weapons at Tony and Yinsen and lead them outside the cave, where they see dozens of other men, tents, and to Tony's horror, crates of Stark Industries weapons.

"That's a lot of my weapons you got here." Tony states, while wondering how the hell these people got their hands on them.

"Yes, they were, how you say 'on sale'. They will be at your disposal while you work." The man explains as he and his armed entourage escort Tony and Yinsen back to the cave.

"Work? What do you mean by that?" Tony asks.

"Well you see, we would like for you to make us the weapon you demonstrated earlier today, the 'Jericho' you call it? So if you don't mind, please get started." The man calmly orders.

"Just do what he says for now Mr. Stark, it'll spare you some pain if you comply." Yinsen informs Tony.

Tony just thinks to himself for a moment and answers "No."

Tony is then immediately dragged into another room in the cave and has his head dunked and held down in a bucket of water over and over while he tries to keep the car battery from getting wet so he's not electrocuted.

After enduring this for what feels like hours, Tony is dragged back to the room with Yinsen and is then locked in with him.

"It would do you good to not be so stubborn in the future Mr. Stark." Yinsen claims as he helps Tony back on his feet.

With a look of determination on his face, Tony simply replies with "Let's get to work."

**With Gohan:**

Gohan lands when he sees the military vehicle and the bodies of the soldiers.

He looks around, distraught at the sight in front of him.

"These poor people. They didn't deserve this. I hope your ok Tony." Gohan says to himself as he looks around.

"JARVIS, this is where I last sensed Tony, can you scan the area to see which way he might have been taken?" Gohan asks.

"Right away young sir Gohan." JARVIS answers as a blue lights comes out of Gohan's visor and envelops the area around him.

After about a minute the blue light vanishes and JARVIS informs Gohan "Unfortunately young sir, I cannot indicate where sir was taken. These assailants were very thorough in covering their tracks."

"Well I guess we have no choice, I'll have to check every area where I can sense life until we find him." Gohan replies then thinks to himself 'I'm gonna save you dad, just hang in there.' Then realizing what he just referred to Tony as, shakes his head, and flies off in search of life.

**With Tony:**

Tony had just finished his miniature arc reactor to better power the electromagnet keeping the shrapnel in his chest in place, and was working with Yinsen on a suit of armor to help them escape while pretending they were building the Jericho the terrorists wanted.

"How about we take a break Mr. Stark?" Yinsen suggests.

"Sure." Tony replies.

They grab some of the food left out for them and eat in silence for a while before Yinsen decides to ask "Do you have a family Mr. Stark?"

"You can just call me Tony...and they aren't my blood, but I do have some people important to me." Tony replies.

"Tell me about them." Yinsen requests.

"Well there are my friends, Rhodey, and Happy, they always look out for me when I'm being reckless. There's Pepper, my dutiful, and beautiful P.A, who helps keep me and my company standing. Then there's the two boys who've been staying with me for the past six months." Tony informs.

"You adopted two boys?" Yinsen asks.

"Not exactly. You see, there were some extreme, extenuating circumstances, which kind of literally dropped them on my door step." Tony clarifies.

"But you see them as your own." Yinsen states.

"Ya, I guess I do." Tony confirms with a smile, thinking about his friends and the boys.

"What are your boys like?" Yinsen asks.

"Well the older one, Gohan, is 12 years old. He has a brilliant mind, and a huge heart. He's been through hell similar to our current predicament, but he's still so innocent, and always puts others before himself. Then the little guy, Goten, is about 8 months old. He's a wild little monkey, but pretty alert and observant. And very advanced for one so young. He's always able to brighten the mood of the room." Tony explains.

"Well it sounds like there are a lot of people waiting for you Tony. We'll have to make sure you get back to them safe and sound." Yinsen declares.

"What about you? Do you have a family?" Tony asks.

"Yes, I have a family." Yinsen calmly answers.

Tony stands up, about to get back to it and says "Welp, we'll make sure you get back to them too."

"Yes, that's the plan." Yinsen replies as he stands up to help Tony.

**With Gohan:**

Gohan is flying around the desert terrain, following the Ki signatures he can sense when he arrives at what appears to be a base camp. He sees dozens of men surrounding the area, with a cave in the center, and then notices the crates full of weapons with the Stark Industries logo on the side.

"JARVIS, can you check to see if those are actually Stark Industries weapons?" Gohan asks.

"Right away young sir." JARVIS answers.

Gohan watches as JARVIS uses the visor he's wearing to zoom in on the crates. Then looks at the specs of the weapons that appear in his line of sight while he hears JARVIS confirm "Unfortunately young sir, these are Stark Industries weapons."

"But how could these people get their hands on them? Tony has made sure that his company's weapons are strictly controlled." Gohan wonders aloud.

"Well young sir, there have been rumors as of late about Stark Industries selling their weapons under the table to the highest bidder regardless of affiliation." JARVIS suggests.

"Tony would never do that, so the only one who could would be...." Gohan leaves unfinished, knowing JARVIS understands.

"My thoughts exactly young sir." JARVIS replies.

"That dirty-" Gohan gets out before he's interrupted by gunfire and explosions coming from the cave, then watches the men outside begin to storm the cave with weapons drawn.

Gohan then feels Tony's Ki signature, he's hurt and anxious, but still alive.

"I'm coming dad, don't worry." Gohan declares as he jumps into action.

**With Tony:**

Tony was devastated, Yinsen was dying and there was nothing he could do to save him.

"Why didn't you follow the plan Ho? We had a plan." Tony asks his new friend.

"This was always the plan Tony." Yinsen replies.

"But what about your family?" Tony asks, wondering what Yinsen is thinking.

"They're dead Tony, they were killed by the Ten Rings along with the rest of the people from my village. This is the only way I can be with them now." Yinsen explains.

Tony is horrified and enraged, blaming himself since the Ten Rings had more than likely used his company's weapons to kill all of those innocent people.

"Don't waste your life Tony, be with your family, I'm going to mine now." 

Tony watches the life leave the man's eyes as he takes his last breath.

Tony then hears bullets bounce off his armor, and he turns to see a couple of men shooting at him.

 **"MY TURN!"** Tony declares, pushing his grief down to be dealt with later and unleashing his rage on the obstacles in front of him as he proceeds to fight his way through all the men blocking his way to the exit.

When he gets outside, he's surprised to find most of the Ten Rings members outside already on the ground, and a familiar figure effortlessly taking down the last few standing in his way.

"Gohan." Tony quietly says to himself.

Knowing the boy can easily deal with the remaining enimies, Tony heads to the crates of his weapons, and begins to destroy them all so that any stragglers they may miss can't use them to hurt anyone else. 

When the last few terrorists charge Tony as he's destroying the weapons, he shoots fire from an arm of his suit that engulfs all but one of them. And before the last one can try anything, he gets nailed by an energy blast.

Tony turns to Gohan, who's looking at him with a mixture of worry and relief in his expression. But before the boy can say anything, Tony tells him "Let's take off kiddo. One of the bombs they had is about to blow, we need to get some distance."

Gohan just nods, then walks towards Tony assuming he'll need to give him a lift, but Tony surprises him when the suit takes flight.

"That armor can fly!?" Tony hears Gohan shout in question as he flys up to catch up with the man. 

Tony chuckles a bit at Gohan's surprise, but it's short lived as he feels the vibrations from the blast wave of the explosion. His suit starts to crumble apart and the man begins to fall.

"Dad!" Tony hears Gohan shout as he shoots toward him to stop his fall.

Quickly thinking back to his training with Gohan, Tony manages to access his ki and starts to float before he hits the ground, but so exhausted from the ordeal it only lasts a few seconds. He falls the rest of the way but is caught by Gohan instead of hitting the sand.

Gohan looks at Tony and excitedly says "You did it! You were able to fly, your Ki control has gotten a lot better."

Tony looks at Gohan and replies "It's all thanks to you Gohan. Thanks for coming for me. I'm sorry I didn't heed your advice and just let you come with."

Gohan shakes his head, a few tears slipping from his eyes and says "Don't worry about it, I'm just so relieved your ok dad."

Tony's eyes widen when his exhausted mind fully registers what Gohan just called him now, and when he started to fall "D..Dad?"

Gohan winces, and tries to deflect "I'm sorry...with the stress of what just happened, and Goten calling you...you know, before you left....I just, I didn't mean to-"

Hearing how worried Gohan sounds, and figuring they both kind of need one, Tony pulls the boy into a hug and tells him "It's ok kiddo, you and Goten can call me whatever you want. I'm totally fine with it."

Tony feels Gohan stiffen up for a second then hug him back, and he hears Gohan start sniffling while saying "We were all so scared when Goten and I felt your Ki spike up, I thought..I thought we were gonna lose you. I'm sorry I wasn't there to help."

Tony starts patting Gohan's back with one hand while ruffling his hair with the other then says "It's ok buddy, I made it out, none of this is your fault, you hear me?"

Gohan looks up into Tony's eyes and shyly answers "I hear you dad." then quickly hides his face by looking down.

Tony chuckles a bit, but then he and Gohan are startled when they hear a helicopter in the distance.

Gohan looks up and says "I feel Rhodey on that helicopter, and it's coming this way."

Tony smiles in relief and replies "Well I guess we got a new ride home."

"But there are a few others with him, so what should I do? Rhodey will know how I got here, but how will we explain it to the other people?" Gohan asks.

Tony thinks for a moment, then answers "We can't let them see you kiddo. I'll stay here to be 'rescued', then when the helicopter is out of sight, you fly back home. Let Pepper, Happy, and Goten know I'm ok."

Gohan turns to look at Tony and protests "But I promised Pepper and Goten I'd bring you home."

Tony moves his hands to Gohan's shoulders, crouches down to the boy's eye level and says "Kid, nothing would make me happier than to go with you and see Pep and the little monkey as soon as possible, but this is the best way to keep your powers a secret from the public. I'll be back home as soon as I can ok? Just head home once the chopper's out of sight and I'll see you when I get back to the states, I promise."

Gohan nods in understanding, takes off the visor covering his eyes, wipes the tears coming from them with an arm and replies "I understand, I'll explain everything to Pepper and we'll see you when you get home."

Tony stands back up and pats Gohan's head "Good, I'll see you soon Gohan." 

Gohan let's out a small laugh, pulls the capsules he'd brought out of his pocket and says "I guess I brought all this food, water, and, first aid kits for nothing huh?"

Tony bursts into laughter, pulls Gohan into another hug, and replies "Well maybe next time kiddo."

Hearing the helicopter getting closer, Tony let's Gohan go, gives him a smile and says "They're almost here Gohan, go now. I'll see you later, ok?

Gohan smiles back and replies "Alright, I'll see you soon." then he flash steps behind a hill of sand out of sight.

"Heh.. I've got to learn how to do that." Tony says to himself as the helicopter lands and he sees Rhodey come out.

As he's helping Tony into the helicopter Rhodey asks "So how was the funvee?"

Tony scoffs, then once inside the aircraft, he stops fighting the weariness and promptly passes out while it takes off.

**With Gohan:**

Gohan waits until he can't hear the helicopter anymore, then puts his visor back on and flies off, going as fast as he can without drawing attention.

After a couple of hours flying, Gohan sees his new home in the distance, flash steps to the front door and knocks.

Immediately the door is flung open by Pepper, who pulls Gohan inside and bombards him with questions.

"Oh my god, Gohan are you ok?" "What happened?" "Is Tony alright?" "What's going on?"

Gohan is about to try to answer Pepper's questions when he hears "Bubba!"

Gohan turns to see Goten toddle towards him.

"Hey Goten." Gohan greets as he crouches down and scoops his brother up in his arms.

As Gohan stands back up Goten asks "Dada?"

"Dada is ok Goten, he's on his way home right now with Rhodey." Gohan answers, then looks at Pepper and says "He's alive Pepper, I found Tony just as he was breaking himself out from where his kidnappers took him."

"How did he do that? Was it the training you gave him?" Pepper asks as they head to the living room.

Gohan sits on the couch, places Goten on his lap and explains "Maybe a little, but for the most part it was the suit of armor he managed to make."

"Suit of armor?" Pepper checks to see if she heard right.

"Indeed Ms. Potts, I can show the footage I recorded from young sir Gohan's visor if you wish." JARVIS suggests.

"Gohan, how about you take Goten down to the lab to see Dum-E while you change, and I'll watch JARVIS' footage?" Pepper asks.

"Dum-Eee!" Goten shouts in excitement.

"Hehheh, I guess that's a yes." Gohan answers as he stands up with Goten in his arms and heads to the lab.

In the lab, while Dum-E keeps Goten occupied, Gohan puts the capsules and the visor away, then changes into a pair of blue jeans, red t-shirt, and a white overshirt.

After letting Goten and Dum-E play together for a little while, Gohan goes to pick Goten up and tells him "Say bye-bye to Dum-E Goten."

"Bye-bye Dum-Eee." Goten says as he waves at the robot.

Gohan sees the bot whirring and beeping in dejection, so he tries to reassure him "We'll be back soon Dum-E, we're going to bring Tony back home."

Dum-E goes back to his charging station, beeping excitedly, so Gohan heads back up to see how much Pepper's seen of JARVIS' footage.

"Did you see it?" Gohan asks when he gets up stairs.

"Yes, and I just got a call from Rhodey. He and Tony are on their way back to the states as we speak, we can go pick him up at the airport in a few hours." Pepper answers while looking lost in thought.

"What's the matter Pepper?" Gohan asks.

"Obidiah was behind this wasn't he? Selling Stark Industries weapons under the table to terrorists. Tony's abduction." Pepper states, not really asking.

"Yeah, most likely." Gohan responds.

"What should we do? We don't have any proof." Pepper asks.

Gohan sits next to Pepper, smiles reassuringly at her and says "Don't worry, I bet Tony's already got an idea for that."


	8. Birth of Ironman Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony, Pepper, and Gohan prepare counter measures against Obidiah.

Chapter 8

* * *

After begrudgingly agreeing to go through a medical examination, Tony is given a clean bill of health, quickly leaves the medical wing, and heads outside towards his limo while muttering under his breath about nosy doctors.

Happy sees Tony coming out of the building, so he steps out of the vehicle to greet him "Good to have you back boss."

Tony is brought out of his rant when he hears the relief in his friend's voice.

"Good to be back Happy." Tony replies with a genuine smile as he gets in the vehicle, but immediately loses it when he hears one of the last voices he wanted to hear say "Oh my boy, I'm so relieved your home."

Tony looks over to see Obidiah on one side of the vehicle with a smile, and Pepper with a worried expression on the other side.

'Yeah I bet you are you rotten bastard.' Tony internally scoffs while responding "Me too Obi."

Tony moves to sit next to Pepper, who worriedly asks "Are you ok Tony?"

Tony gives her a faint smile and replies "I'm ok Pep, I swear."

Pepper looks like she's about to protest when Obidiah interrupts "You heard the man darlin, now let's go. We got to let the media frenzy begin, so Tony can go home and rest properly afterwards."

"Yeah, but before that. Happy?" Tony calls on his friend.

The glass barrier between the drivers seat and the back opens and Happy asks in reply "Yeah boss?"

"To the nearest drive-thru, I'm craving some burgers." Tony answers.

Happy and Pepper both smile at that, and Happy drives them off.

**With Gohan and Goten:**

Gohan is sitting with Goten, as the infant is playing with various scattered toys, when JARVIS informs "Young sir Gohan, the press conference welcoming Sir back is beginning."

"Great, can you put it on screen please?" Gohan asks.

The nearby tv turns on, showing Tony walking up to a podium.

Goten looks up at the screen, and excitedly exclaims "Dada!"

Gohan smiles at Goten's excitement "Yeah, he's on tv. Cool huh?" Then he turns to the screen, listening to Tony's statement.

After a barrage of questions from the reporters, Tony calmly says "I am not here to talk about my time in captivity, I'm here to say that after going through this experience, I am hereby immediately shutting down Stark Industries' weapons division. I will no longer profit from the destruction of other people's lives and homes."

Obidiah momentarily has a shocked look on his face, then rushes to the podium and says "I'm sure that Mr. Stark is just exhausted from his ordeal."

Guessing Obidiah would try something like that, Tony just replies "I'm making this decision with a sound mind. The weapons division will be shut down, but all employees in that division will be given new positions. No one will be losing their jobs over this, I assure you."

"After this Obidiah won't have access to high grade weaponry to sell anymore. Now we just have to wait and see what he does in response." Gohan thinks aloud as he continues watching the live feed until Tony walks off the podium. He then turns the t.v off and sits back down with Goten to await Tony and Pepper's return.

**With Tony, Pepper, Happy, and Obidiah:**

"Tony, you have to see reason!" Obidiah shouts.

Tony just rolls his eyes and replies "For the hundredth time Obi, I'm not changing my mind on this."

Pepper tries to chip in "Mr. Stane, Tony seems to have made up his mind so-"

"Please darlin, this is between me and Anthony." Obidiah interrupts then adds "Son, if this nonsense is about those boys your letting freeload at your home, then it's time we discuss them again."

Tony levels a glare at Obidiah "Discuss them how?"

Obidiah leans closer and whispers "Well what would the media think if they see you with those urchin? Especially that little one with the monkey tail, now that's a headline I'd bet you'd like to avoid."

Tony and Pepper both get furious at that thinly veiled threat, but Tony quickly calms himself enough not to throw a punch at Obidiah, and replies "Those boys have nothing to do with this. I was abducted, tortured, and it helped me see making more tools for war isn't how to help the world."

"Oh, and you know another way?" Obidiah sneers.

"Yeah, I think I do." Tony replies.

"And what would that be?" Obidiah asks.

Tony answers "That isn't your concern, and neither are Gohan and Goten. So I suggest you leave them out of this and keep your mouth shut about their 'special' traits, or else."

Looking intrigued and amused, Obidiah asks "Or else what?"

Tony gives one of his cocky smirks he normally saves for the media and answers "Well you'll just have to wait and see."

Before Obidiah can respond, Happy informs "Boss, we're here."

Tony looks out the window and sees his home.

Tony and Pepper exit the vehicle, and Pepper asks "Happy, please take Mr. Stane home?"

"You got it Pep." Happy replies, then quickly takes off before Obidiah can start up another argument.

As soon as the car is out of sight, Pepper turns to Tony and asks "Do you really think it's wise to push Obidiah like that?"

"Probably not, but I won't tolerate him threatening the boys." Tony answers.

Pepper smiles at Tony being so protective of Gohan and Goten "Well alright Papa Bear, just try not to let Obidiah know we're on to him, ok?"

Tony just smirks and counters "Oh like you weren't about to unleash the beast on him when he threatened to expose the boys."

Pepper laughs and lightly shoves at Tony's shoulder "Well speaking of the boys, I bet they're waiting for us. Let's go inside so they can welcome you back home." 

Tony lets out a laugh of his own as he and Pepper head to the front door.

As soon as Tony and Pepper open the door, step inside and close it behind them, they hear "Dada! Mama!" from an excited Goten toddling toward them at full speed.

Tony crouches down and scoops Goten up in his arms and greets the boy "Hey, how's my little monkey been doing?" Then stands back up and lightly tosses Goten in the air and catches him.

Goten squeals in delight as Gohan walks into view "He's been getting more and more excited as he sensed you 2 getting closer."

Tony looks to Goten and asks "Is that true little buddy? Were you waiting for me to come back before you threw that wild party of yours?"

Goten grabs Tony's nose and shouts "Ya!" Then squeezes.

"Ahh! Deja vu!" Tony exclaims in a nasally voice then pretends to bite at Goten's arm. 

While Tony has Goten distracted with his antics, Pepper informs Gohan "Obidiah isn't too pleased at Tony shutting down the weapons division."

"Did he do something?" Gohan asks in response.

"He threatened to expose you, Goten, and your abilities." Tony answers, holding Goten in one arm while the baby is poking at the lump on Tony's shirt from the arc reactor.

"Do you think he'll actually do that?" Gohan asks, worried about the repercussions that could have on them all.

Tony shrugs and replies "Not sure. But if he does, there's something we need to do before he starts spreading the word."

"What would that be?" Gohan asks.

In response, Tony just looks up to the ceiling and asks "JARVIS? How fast can you get the necessary documents to officially register me and Pepper as Gohan and Goten's legal guardians drawn up?"

"I can have it done within the hour sir." JARVIS answers.

Gohan's eyebrows shoot up and he asks "Really?"

Tony shrugs and casually replies "Yep. This way, if Obi alerts the wrong people about you 2, with me and Pep as your legal guardians, anyone that would want to try and take you will be in for the legal battle of their lives."

"I know I've said this a bunch of times before, but thank you. Goten and I would be so lost if we hadn't met you when we got here." Gohan says in gratitude, seeing this as a huge sacrifice on Tony and Pepper's part.

"Don't sweat it kid." Tony replies, then adds "Also JARVIS, get rid of Obi's spyware. It's time to stop pretending we don't know his true colors anymore."

"Right away sir." JARVIS answers.

"Are you going to make something in the lab that you don't want him seeing?" Gohan asks. 

"Affirmative, and I don't want any possibility of him finding out about it. So we can't risk him catching on that were just feeding him fake footage like we did when we made those capsules." Tony confirms.

"Can I help?" Gohan asks, eager to chip in.

"Definitely, I'll need your input on this." Tony answers as he begins to head to the lab.

Gohan moves to follow "You got it."

Though before they got to far, Pepper scolds "Tony, can't you rest a bit more before you do whatever you've got planned? Also, why do you need to take Goten down with you?"

Tony turns back to Pepper "I'll be fine Pep. With you, JARVIS, and Gohan watching out for me, I know none of you will let me overdo it too much. And Goten's coming along to keep Dum-E distracted so he doesn't try to blast me and Gohan with the fire extinguisher while we're working."

At hearing the bot's name, Goten excitedly cheers "Dum-Eee!"

Pepper chuckles and gives in "Alright, just try to pace yourself."

Tony grins and asks "Don't I always?"

**With Obidiah:**

Obidiah strolls into his scientist's lab "Do you have the S-Suppressor ready?"

A man answers "Yes Mr. Stane. It took awhile, but we're very confident that this will work."

Obidiah claps the man on the shoulder "Excellent, get as much as you can produced. I think the time I'm going to have to use it is coming very soon."

"Yes sir." the man replies, then goes to complete that task.

'Now I'll have what I need to keep those urchin in check, and soon I'll get my hands on Tony's last little golden egg.' Obidiah thinks to himself with a smug smirk.

**With Tony, Gohan, and Goten:**

While Goten is keeping Dum-E occupied with stacking blocks and knocking them over, Tony and Gohan are working on a new suit of armor.

"So once we get this new suit up and running, do you want to go a practice round with me to see how it holds up?" Gohan asks.

"Yeah, if you don't mind? If this can hold its own against you even while still at your base power, then I don't see what anyone else would be able to do against it." Tony answers.

"Sure, but I still want you to work on your Ki control and hand to hand combat training with me, just in case your in a situation where you can't get to this armor." Gohan bargains. 

"You got a deal kid." Tony agrees with a smirk.

After a couple of days making a more efficient arc reactor to replace the older one, and various safety tests (Gohan insisted) and upgrades for the armor, Tony and Gohan had the Mark 2 ready for its maiden voyage.

"All right, everything is in working order. Ready to go on a test flight Gohan?"

"Yeah, let's do it." Gohan replies, a bit excited.

Tony puts the suit on, Gohan puts on the outfit he wore when he went to help Tony, JARVIS opens a panel in the lab wall, and they both take off.

As he's maneuvering in the air, Tony is absolutely ecstatic. Loving the feeling of flying freely. He and Gohan take a lap around the city, surprising some people they pass that are riding on a nearby ferris wheel.

"How's it going? Any problems?" Gohan checks.

He gets Tony laughing in excitement as an answer.

'I guess everything is going smoothly.' Gohan thinks to himself, then asks aloud "Are you ready to head back for the next test?"

Tony turns to Gohan, "Sure thing kiddo, gotta see how it stands up in a fight."

They both fly a few miles out from the shore near Tony's house and put a few meters of distance between each other.

Gohan gets into his usual fighting stance, Tony tucks both arms to his sides. They then blast towards each other, each throwing a punch at the other. Their fists collide and the resulting shockwaves pushes all the water under them away, exposing the ground under it for a few seconds.

Gohan quickly follows with a small energy blast from his other hand.

Tony manages to deflect it upwards then with a boost of speed and force from the jet boot, dishes out a powerful kick aimed at Gohan's side.

Gohan raises his arm to block, but is still sent flying further out to sea.

Gohan stops himself, then hears Tony say "Come on Gohan, I'm not asking you to go Super Saiyan, but give me more than this."

"Are you sure?" Gohan asks, worried about going too far.

"Yeah, just scale yourself up bit by bit until the suit reaches it's limits." 

"Ok" Gohan complies, but requests "But if the suit takes damage I don't notice right away, or if I hurt you, let me know so we can stop immediately."

"I promise kid. And JARVIS will let you know if he notices something before I do." 

Gohan nods, and powers up to the level he attained after Guru unlocked some of his potential when they first met, then flash steps. Appearing right in front of Tony, and aims a punch at his gut.

Tony uses both hands to try and catch the fist, but is still shot up in the air.

Gohan flash steps again, this time appearing behind Tony, he clasps both his hands together, then slams them into his back, shooting him down towards the water.

Tony manages to right himself and attempts to use the repulsors in his gauntlets and boots to stop his descent.

He succeeds in avoiding landing in the water, but then looks up and sees a barrage of energy blasts heading his way.

'Ok, time to see if this'll work.' Tony thinks as he aims his gauntlets and fires a barrage of repulsor blasts.

Gohan and Tony's blasts collide, resulting in an explosion causing both of them to lose sight of the other.

Tony uses his senses and feels Gohan appearing behind him.

Gohan swings a kick, and is pleasantly surprised when Tony ducks then turns around and fires another repulsor blast at Gohan's chest.

The blast hits it's mark, but Gohan keeps himself from being pushed back by it and fires a blast of his own at Tony's chest.

Tony shoots up in the air to avoid the blast.

As he goes higher and higher to try and get some distance, ice begins to form and incase the armor.

Before JARVIS can warn Tony to stop his ascent, all the suit's systems shut down and Tony starts plummeting.

He tries smashing the ice enough so the suit can reboot, but it doesn't seem to be working.

When Gohan notices Tony is falling, he shoots up to catch him, but before making it to him, the suit starts back up and Tony manages to right himself on his own.

"Whoa, that was a little close." Tony jokes as the face plate comes up.

"Yeah, no kidding. Are you ok?" Gohan asks, exasperated, but also relieved.

"I'm fine kiddo, sorry for the scare." Tony apologizes, seeing the worried expression on Gohan's face.

"That's ok. So how is everything feeling? Did I go too far?"

"Nah, besides a few dents in the armor, and maybe a few bruises, everything is good." Tony reassures.

"I'd still prefer we call it a night and head back."

"Sure thing, I'll try to fix the dented parts or replace them, then pick out a paint job for the suit." Tony rattles off.

"But before all that, you need to be checked out by JARVIS to make sure your ok." Gohan adds.

"Alright, alright. Get the boring stuff out of the way." Tony snarks in reply.

Gohan just laughs and begins to head back.

Tony follows and once they're at the lab, Tony removes the suit, gets a clean bill of health from JARVIS, then he and Gohan work on the repairs and try to strengthen the Mark 2 until the early hours of the morning.

Tony has just finished the Mark 2's paint job when JARVIS alerts him "Sir, there's something on the news you need to see."

Tony looks around and finds Gohan asleep on the nearby cot. "Bring it up JARVIS, just keep the volume low."

"Of course Sir." A screen appears and a report about a village in the middle east being held hostage by a terrorist group plays out on it.

This makes Tony think back to Yinsen, what happened to his family and village, and lets loose the pain and grief Yinsen's death caused him, so he decides "Guess I'm going on another test flight."

Hoping Gohan doesn't wake up, Tony walks over to him, moves one arm under the boy's knees, and the other under his shoulders, picks him up and slowly makes his way up to Gohan and Goten's room.

Thankfully the door to the boys' room was cracked open, so Tony was able to push it the rest of the way with his foot.

He goes inside, walks past Goten's crib, where the baby is still sleeping, and places Gohan on his bed at the end of the room.

Tony walks out and closes the door behind him. "Thanks for all the help kid, but this is something I have to do on my own."

Tony heads back down to the lab, suits up, and takes off.

After a couple of hours, Tony sees the captive village up ahead. As he gets closer, he sees two of the terrorists trying to drag a boy away from his father and about to shoot them for not complying.

Enraged, He crashes down and begins to pick off the terrorists.

Tony is shooting all of the terrorists down one by one with his repulsor blasts as bullets are bouncing off of his armor, when he notices a tank firing a shot at him.

He side steps the tank bullet, then aims his right arm at the tank and fires a tiny missile from his wrist at it. He turns around and marches to the last enemy standing as the tank explodes behind him.

He takes the gun out of the man's hands and pushes him to the ground.

"He's all yours." Tony tells the villagers, leaving the last terrorist to their mercy as he destroys the weapons they were using, then takes off.

As he's flying back, JARVIS informs "Sir, you've got a call from young sir Gohan."

"Put him on J." Tony replies.

JARVIS complies "Hey kiddo, what's up?" Tony asks in greeting.

"Well maybe you can tell me that, I'm almost at your location." Gohan informs.

Tony looks around and spots Gohan approaching. 

"Why did you come after me?"

"Once JARVIS showed me the newscast he showed you, I figured you'd do something like this. So I wanted to make sure you had back-up this time."

"JARVIS, why did you show him that?" 

"Well sir, you didn't tell me I shouldn't." JARVIS deadpans.

"It was implied J." Tony exclaims.

Getting back on topic, Tony turns back to Gohan "I appreciate you wanting to look out for me Gohan, but this was something I had to do on my own."

"Why did you have to do it on your own?"

"Kid, it's my responsibility to make up for the damage that my company's weapons caused."

"But it's not your fault that they got out to the wrong people, Obidiah did that." Gohan tries to reason.

"But I trusted him kid, and that is my fault!" Tony shouts in frustration.

Before Gohan can respond to that, Tony is hit by something and shot out of the air.

He rights himself, then he and Gohan look to where the shot came from, and see 2 fighter jets heading towards them.

Gohan flys towards Tony "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine, though we should probably get out of here."

Gohan nods in agreement and they take off.

As they flee from the jets, Tony gets another phone call.

"Who is it now J?"

"It's Colonel Rhodes sir."

"Shit."

"Should i put him through sir? Also 10,200$ on 'Swear Jar' now." JARVIS responds.

"Fine, patch the kid in and answer it J."

JARVIS complies, and Tony and Gohan hear "Tony, please tell me it's not some your things my jets are chasing."

"Hey Rhodey, I'm not sure what your talking about honey bear."

"What's that sound in the background? Where are you right now?"

"Oh I'm just driving with the roof down, the kid is here with me." 

"Hey Rhodey." Gohan chimes in.

"Hey Gohan. Tony, are you sure these things aren't some of yours?"

Before Tony can answer, the jets start shooting at him and Gohan again.

Gohan deflects the shots, and as Tony is about to make another excuse, he hears Gohan's voice in his head saying 'It's probably better if we just tell him the truth.'

'Yeah, I guess your right.' Tony telepathically replies, then answers aloud "It's us Rhodey."

"I didn't just hear that." Rhodey replies.

"It's me and Gohan your jets are shooting at platypus." Tony confirms.

"What the hell am I supposed to do here Tones? How am I supposed to explain this?"

"Just say it was a training exercise. Isn't that the usual B.S?" Tony casually replies.

"That can't possibly work with this."

**Hours later:**

After Gohan deflected all the shots from the jets, he grabbed Tony and flash stepped out of the pilots line of sight.

Afterwards, they headed back home and went to the lab, Where they are currently holed up in, trying to get the suit off of Tony.

JARVIS brought up a screen playing the press conference where Rhodey is using Tony's idea, calling what happened a training exercise to appease the public, much to Tony's amusement.

Pepper with Goten in tow enters the lab and sees a bunch of robot arms and Gohan trying to pry a suit of armor off of Tony.

"We built this thing to come off, so it should be coming off." Tony complains.

"Well I could just tear it off, but then it'll take a lot longer to fix up." Gohan suggests.

Pepper clears her throat, Gohan and Tony turn to her and all the latter can think of to say is "Let's face it, this isn't the worst thing you've walked in on me doing."

While Gohan raises an eyebrow at Tony's comment, Pepper just puts Goten down who waddles over to Gohan as she says "Tony, I don't know what this is, but I just came down here to tell you that Obidiah is upstairs waiting for you."

"Could you keep him busy while JARVIS and Gohan get this off me?"

"How long will that take?"

Luckily the suit finally starts coming off at that moment.

"Well that long I guess." Tony jokes, then starts to head out of the lab.

"Should Goten and I stay down here?" Gohan asks as he picks Goten up.

"Nah, you don't need to hide from him." Tony assures.

They all head upstairs where Obidiah greets them "There you are son, and your new dependents."

"So I guess you saw the adoption forms huh?" 

"Yes, as did all the board members. And we made the decision to inform the media and are hosting a party to publicly welcome your boys to the family."

"Are you serious? Tony asks in anger.

"Of course. The genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist Tony Stark becoming a foster father to two destitute boys is a huge deal. Everyone is going to want to see them, it'll be great publicity. Hopefully distract everyone from your last press conference." Obidiah cheerily explains.

"Don't give me that crap Obi!" Tony snarls, seeing right through the other man's intentions.

"No need for hostility my boy, unless there's some reason you want to keep your boys out of the public eye." Obidiah sneers.

Tony looks like he's about to say something he shouldn't, so Gohan interrupts "Of course not Mr. Stane. Tony and Pepper were just giving me and Goten some time to adjust. We'll be ready for this party. We have nothing to hide."

"Kid, you don't have to do this." Tony tries to protest.

"It's ok, we couldn't put this off forever. May as well get it out of the way sooner than later."

"Very practical of you, young man." Obidiah praises.

Tony sighs in resignation and asks "When is this party?"

"At the end of the week, it'll give you some time to get some formal attire for the boys and run them through what to expect."

"Great, thanks for the notice Obi. We'll see you then." Tony quickly replies, hoping the man will take the hint and leave.

"Of course." Obidiah responds, then while heading out the door, he adds "Oh, and make sure you find a way to hide the little one's tail. Don't want anyone seeing that now do we?" 

"Asshole!" Tony shouts as he slams the door behind Obidiah.

"10,300$ now sir." JARVIS quips.

Tony just rolls his eyes at JARVIS' comment and heads back to the living room with Pepper and the boys.

"So what's the plan Mr. Stark?" Pepper asks.

"Well Ms. Potts, I guess we all better get ready for a party." Tony answers.


	9. Birth of Ironman Part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Obidiah makes his move.

Chapter 9

* * *

**With Tony, Pepper, Gohan, and Goten:**

After spending a few days getting suits tailored for the boys ready, explaining to Gohan what to expect during events like these, and working on a backstory to tell the press, Tony and Pepper's time runs out.

The dreaded evening of Obidiah's 'Welcome' party had arrived.

Tony and Pepper are doing some last minute preparations with Gohan and Goten.

"Alright kiddo, you ready for this?" Tony asks Gohan as he's helping the boy with his tie.

"Yeah, I'll be fine, don't worry." Gohan reassures, fairly confident this night will go by smoothly.

"Are you sure Gohan?" Pepper asks, coming into the room with her formal dress on and a pouting Goten, dressed in a suit of his own in her arms "These kind of public events can be overwhelming." 

Gohan smiles, amused at Goten's clear disdain for wearing a little suit and just repeats "I'll be ok. I've been through a share of overwhelming events in my life, this can't be worse than those."

"Your right, I just wish we could of had more time to prepare for this."

Tony goes over to Pepper and places a hand on her shoulder "We'll get through this Pep. Just one night, then it'll be back to business as usual."

Once in proximity, Goten starts to reach for Tony "Dada!"

Pepper hands Goten over to Tony as they both laugh at the baby's moodiness "What's wrong buddy? My little monkey doesn't like wearing a monkey suit?"

"He definitely doesn't, he's had that pout since I put it on him." Pepper informs.

"Uh!..Off!" Goten demands, pulling at his little overcoat.

Tony laughs again and responds "Sorry little man, it's just for a few hours. Then you can take it off."

Goten scowls at Tony, then turns to Gohan and starts reaching for him "Bubba!"

Gohan gives his brother a sympathetic smile "Sorry Goten, this is just what we have wear for things like this party. It won't be too long."

Goten scowls at his brother, then lays his head on Tony's shoulder in defeat, frustrated.

Everyone laughs, then Tony bounces Goten a couple of times to try and lift his spirits "Come on monkey, it'll be ok. There'll be food there, maybe even ice cream, or cake."

Goten lifts his head back up at that and breaks out into a big grin "I-cweam!"

Tony smiles at Goten's change in attitude "Atta boy."

Pepper chuckles while she walks toward the door "It's time to go boys."

With no way to put this off, they all reluctantly head outside and are welcomed by Happy "Boss, Pep, boys." as he opens the door to the limo for them.

They all get into the vehicle and Happy chauffeurs them to the event hall.

As they arrive and are about to exit the vehicle Tony hands Goten back to Gohan "Its time kid. Just stay close to Pep and me, and also try not to look directly at the flashing lights or you'll be seeing spots for a while."

Gohan nods in response "Anything I should avoid saying, besides the obvious?"

"Nothing I can think of."

"Alright, I'm ready. Let's do this." Gohan declares.

Tony taps the window, Happy opens the door for them, and the sounds of dozens of different voices and flashing cameras erupt from the outside.

Tony and Pepper get out, followed by Gohan with Goten in his arms.

Tony and Pepper make sure the boys are between them, to be a buffer between the boys and the press.

Gohan is a tad surprised at all the people here for this party 'I wonder if this is what it's like for that Hercule guy?' 

He's brought out of his thoughts when he hears some sniffling. He looks down and sees Goten tearing up and trying to hide by curling up into his neck.

At first, Gohan assumes Goten is just overwhelmed by all the flashing lights and overlapping voices, but just to be sure, he extends his senses. When he does, a shiver rips down his spine as he feels a dark blood lust.

Gohan looks around and spots the source, Obidiah, looking at them with what looks like a kind smile. But being able to see the man's true nature, it just unnerves the boy. So much so he grabs Tony's arm with his free hand.

Tony looks down at Gohan, noticing both he and Goten seem upset. He puts his hand on the older boy's shoulder to let him know he's there with him. 

As they are entering the event hall, Gohan calms down and telepathically explains to Tony and Pepper 'Something is different about Obidiah. His presence, it's so much darker than before.'

'What does that mean? Do you think he'll be making a move soon?' Tony asks while saying aloud "Hey Obi, looks like you told every news crew in the state."

"Oh don't be silly son, you know once the words out it starts spreading like a virus."

"Well there's always a patient zero that triggers it." Tony shoots back.

Obidiah just acts like he didn't hear Tony's last reply and says "Come on, before we head in let's get a family picture with all of us.

'Gohan?' Pepper asks, their telepathic link still going.

'I'm not entirely sure what it means, but it's probably best to play along for now.' Gohan replies, answering Tony and Pepper's questions. 

Tony stands next to Obidiah, facing a cameraman. And Gohan moves to Tony's side oppisite of Obidiah.

"Come on boy, stand in the center so the man can get a good shot of you and the little fella." Obidiah tells Gohan.

Tony is about to protest, but Gohan complies and moves between the two men.

'Kid, are you sure?' Tony asks.

'Yeah, better to get it over with.' Gohan answers, feeling sure that the man won't try anything while surrounded by all these people, but doing as he asks for now to keep him calm, just in case.

Tony relents and places his hand on one of Gohan's shoulders and Obidiah places his hand on the boy's other one.

When Gohan feels Obidiah's hand touch his shoulder, he suppresses a shudder and puts on a smile.

With the picture out of the way, Tony leads Gohan inside the event hall back to where Pepper is waiting for them.

"Are you ok Gohan?" Pepper asks, unable to hide the concern on her face.

"Yeah, this is nothing I can't handle." Gohan assures, putting on a brave face.

Pepper looks like she's about to say something else, but stops when a man approaches them.

"Hello everyone, I'm agent Phil Coulson of the Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement and Logistics Division." He greets in introduction 

"That's a mouthful." Pepper replies.

"We're working on that. Anyway Mr. Stark, I'm sorry to intrude on this special event, but if you wouldn't mind, my organization would like to set up an appointment for a debriefing about your time in captivity."

"Sure thing Mr. Agent. Another time though, thank you." Tony quickly replies, then starts to lead Gohan to a table for them to sit.

As they are moving, Gohan feels the man out, and informs Tony and Pepper 'This Coulson guy isn't as ordinary as he appears, but I don't feel anything negative. I don't think he'll be a problem.' 

"Of course Mr. Stark, please just take my card and give me a call when you're ready." Coulson responds, pulling a card out of his pocket and offering it to them.

Pepper takes the card and says "Thank you Mr. Coulson, we'll be in touch." before moving to join Tony and the boys at their table as Obidiah walks up to the podium set up in the center of the room.

"Greetings ladies and gentlemen. Tonight is a very special occasion for Stark Industries, welcoming two very special boys to the Stark family. Tony has always been like a son to me, and now it's like I'm welcoming my own grandsons to the fold. Tony, come bring those boys up here to say hello."

Tony and Pepper both turn to Gohan, checking if he's ok with it.

Gohan nods at them, and they all head up to the podium.

An attendant clips small microphones to Tony, Pepper, and Gohan as they come up to speak.

Gohan faces the crowd and recites the cover story he, Tony, and Pepper worked out.

"Um hello...I'm Gohan, and this is my little brother Goten.....Our father was killed protecting me from a mugger right before our mother found out she was pregnant with Goten. Then a little under 2 months after Goten was born....our mother and grandfather were killed in a car accident when we were hit by a drunk driver....With no other family, we had nowhere to go. Until an old friend of my mom's, Ms. Potts, found out about our situation and she and Mr. Stark invited us to stay with them. We've been staying with them for 6 months now, and they have both been so great to me and Goten. I'm very thankful for their kindness and support in this troubling time."

As soon as he finishes, a barrage of questions are fired at Gohan by the reporters who were allowed in.

Gohan turns to Tony and Pepper with a frantic look and asks 'What do I do?'

Tony walks up next to Gohan and addresses the crowd "Please people, take it easy on the kid."

Tony takes over answering questions for Gohan, wanting to get this part out of the way as soon as possible.

The reporters are then escorted out, and the so called 'party' starts.

Gohan was sitting with Goten in his lap while watching some people dance, and greeting others when they came to their table to offer their 'congratulations'.

"Ugh, these people are all almost as full of you know what as Obi." Tony complains, even with the threat of Obidiah, he's still as bored as he normally is when forced to come to these events. 'I guess even blackmail can't make this interesting.'

"Tony." Pepper scolds.

"What? I censored myself. Besides, it's true and you know it." 

Gohan laughs a bit as Pepper replies "Yes, I know it's true, but just play nice a bit longer, then we can go home."

As he notices a new song start to play, Tony smirks, gets out of his chair and offers his hand to Pepper.

She raises an eyebrow in question.

"Come on Pep, if we're gonna play along, we may as well kill some time dancing instead of dealing with the brown-nosers all night."

Pepper turns to check with Gohan, but he waves her off "I'll be fine, you 2 should have some fun. I'll just raid the buffet a bit and see what desserts there are for Goten."

"I-cweam!" Goten shouts at hearing Gohan mention desserts.

They all laugh, Pepper takes Tony's hand, and he leads her to the dance floor while Gohan takes Goten to explore the buffet.

Gohan is checking out the food and asks Goten "What do you think buddy? Anything look good?"

Goten looks around and spots a dessert bar, he turns to Gohan while pointing it out "I-cweam!"

"Ok, ok, let's get you some ice cream." Gohan replies, chuckling to himself while getting his brother the promised treat.

Gohan's heading back to their table, balancing Goten, the food he picked out for himself, and Goten's ice cream in his arms.

Gohan manages to get Goten to eat some of the food he picked out before leaving the baby to his ice cream while he watches Tony and Pepper on the dance floor.

As Gohan is wiping Goten's face and hands clean, he hears the chair beside him being pulled out. He turns, expecting to see Tony or Pepper, but sees Obidiah sitting next to him instead.

"Do you need something Mr. Stane?" Gohan asks, trying to be polite.

"Actually, there is something we need to discuss. So if you could come with me?"

Sensing the deceit, but confident the man couldn't possibly pose a threat him, he agrees "Sure, just let me hand Goten to Tony or Pepper and I'll be right with you."

Obidiah places his hand on Gohan's shoulder "Don't worry about that, this won't take long. Besides, it looks like Tony and Pepper are still enjoying themselves. Wouldn't want to interrupt their fun now would we?"

Gohan looks at Tony and Pepper, sees them talking and laughing while dancing around 'They've both been so stressed out over all of this. They deserve a break, and to have some fun.'  

Not wanting to bother them, Gohan nods "Ok, what do you want to talk about?"

"Not here, let's go in the hall where it's quieter."

Gohan complies and follows Obidiah.

When they get out to the hallway, Obidiah drops the act "Listen boy, while I wasn't thrilled about Tony letting you and your brother stay with him, I'm beginning to see the potential in you."

Not surprised at the change in attitude, but curious at the last part of the man's statement, Gohan asks "What do you mean?"

"Tony shutting down the weapons division is a thorn in my side, but once he's gone I'll start it back up, while having access to the greatest weapon imaginable."

Gohan scowls at the man "If you think I'll let you hurt Tony or anyone else with your selfish plans, then you really don't know as much about me as we were afraid you did."

Obidiah gives the boy a smug smirk "Unfortunately for you, thanks to the thoroughness of Tony and JARVIS, I have exactly what I need to keep an unruly saiyan brat under my thumb."

Before Gohan can react to Obidiah's declaration, the small mic still clipped to his shirt sprays him in the face with a gas.

"What the!?" Gohan exclaims, as all his strength is sapped from his body.

Obidiah snatches Goten out of Gohan's arms as the boy collapses, unable to move.

"Bubba!" Goten screams as he begins to wail in Obidiah's arms.

"Oh shut up you animal!" Obidiah commands, then finds and starts squeezing Goten's tail.

"Don't touch him!" Gohan snarls.

Goten quiets down and passes out as Obidiah keeps his grip on the baby's tail. He looks down at Gohan "I'd be more concerned about myself if I were in your position."

"What did you do? Why can't I move?"

Obidiah smirks "You have your own biology to thank for this, boy."

Obidiah then crouches down, pulls something out of his pocket and sprays Gohan with more of the same gas, causing him to pass out.

Obidiah tosses Gohan over his shoulder and carries both boys out through the back of the building.

**With Tony and Pepper:**

Tony and Pepper are enjoying themselves, dancing and joking around with each other for a while.

After the current song playing ends, they both look to their table expecting to see their boys there, but become worried when they see no one sitting there and staff clearing the table.

They both walk up to one of the staff and Tony asks "Hey, where are the boys who were sitting here?" 

"They left with Mr. Stane about 15 minutes ago."

Both Tony and Pepper's stomachs drop at hearing that.

"Where did they go?" 

"They just went out to the hall."

Tony and Pepper turn and head that way, though once they get there, all they find is Obidiah, alone, heading in their direction.

"Obi!" Tony shouts at the man.

"Well what's got you in such a fit son?" 

"Where are Gohan and Goten?"

"Oh, they seemed tuckered out, so I sent them home."

Tony gives the man a deadly glare, not buying that for a second "Why didn't you tell us?"

"Well Gohan was going to, but I insisted he let you and Pepper enjoy yourselves a bit longer and he agreed." 

"Of course you did!" Tony angrily replies, 'Damn it kid, couldn't you think about yourself?'

Before Obidiah can reply, Tony turns away from him with Pepper and starts heading outside.

"Where are you going son?"

"Well, if the boys went home like you said, then I should head back too." Tony answers as Pepper gets her phone out to call Happy.

Obidiah doesn't say anything else as Tony and Pepper go.

"Shit! I should have stayed by their side for this entire farce!" Tony shouts, frustrated with himself for not keeping an eye on the boys throughout the entire party.

"This isn't on you Tony, we all underestimated Obidiah." Pepper replies, feeling just as bad, but not letting it show.

Before Tony can argue it, Happy arrives, and they both quickly get in the car.

"Happy take me home, then take Pepper to Stark Industries H.Q." Tony tells his friend.

"You got it boss." Happy replies, then starts driving.

"Tony, why are you sending me to H.Q?"

Tony reaches into a compartment in the car, and pulls out a flash drive "Because Pep, while I'm checking home for the boys, I want you to check Obi's office computer, put this flash drive in it and it'll do the rest. If Obi is making a move, then it's time we make one of our own."

Pepper takes the flash drive and nods "Alright."

**With Gohan:**

When Gohan comes to, he finds that he's tied to a bed with an I.V drip in his arm.

"Where am I? What's going on?"

He tries to break free, but is barely able to move.

"How-" Gohan starts to question, but is interrupted by a familiar voice.

"Ah, your awake." 

"Obidiah, what did you do? Why can't I move?"

Obidiah walks into Gohan's line of sight as he explains "Well I couldn't have pulled this off without JARVIS' scans of you and your brother from the day you appeared."

"What do you mean!?" Gohan shouts in frustration.

Obidiah just smirks and continues "I watched those memories of yours that Tony's B.A.R.F recorded. And when you explained that when saiyans with tails have them grabbed, it causes them to lose all their strength, I saw an opportunity."

Gohan's eyes widen a bit as Obidiah keeps going "With those handy scans of your brother's tail, my employees found a gland in the tail that when enough pressure is applied to it, it secretes a chemical into the rest of the body, causing the powerlessness you are currently experiencing. And thanks to the talented scientists under my employ, I now have a near unlimited amount of what I like to call 'S-Suppressor'."

Gohan is speechless, which just amuses Obidiah "That's right, I knew no weapon on this planet could take you on, but thankfully for me, your own biology has a built in weakness I could exploit."

"Well why not just kill me? Like you said, I'm helpless right now. So what are you waiting for!?" Gohan shouts in anger and a slight tremor of fear.

Obidiah just chuckles and answers "Well I did consider it for a little while, but then I saw how I could use you and your sweet little brother to my advantage."

Gohan eyes momentarily turn green, and his hair flashes gold for a second as he demands to know " **Where is Goten!? What did you do to my brother!?"**

Obidiah flinches at Gohan nearly going Super Saiyan, but then laughs when he sees that thanks to the S-Suppressor feeding into his body from the I.V, the boy can't maintain it.

"Oh don't worry my boy, he's safe. And he'll stay that way as long as you obey 'Good ol' Grandpa Obi'."

"What could you possibly want from me!?" Gohan snarls.

"Boy, you really need to lose the modest goodie 2 shoes act, it's unbecoming. Since Tony is going to be gone soon, I'm going to need another genius to build my new line of weapons for the company, you. While I'll also be selling your services to the highest bidder on the down low. Your fighting skills are going to make me a pretty penny."

Gohan's expression changes to one of horrified understanding "So your going to kill Tony, then keep holding Goten hostage so I'll do whatever you ask indefinitely."

"Bingo my boy. See? You are a smart one." Obidiah sneers.

Gohan becomes enraged, goes Super Saiyan again and declares  **"The second I have an opportunity, I'm going to kill you Stane!"**

Gohan manages to tear some of the binds holding him, but falls back into his base form before being able to free himself.

Obidiah laughs again and taunts the boy "My word you are a tough one. I'll have to double the dose, maybe that will keep you in line."

Obidiah is about to continue, but then receives a call on a nearby monitor "Mr. Stane, you asked us to keep you informed on Mr. Stark and Ms. Potts' movements."

Obidiah turns to the screen "Yes? Go on."

"Mr. Stark was just dropped off alone at his home, and now Mr. Hogan is taking Ms. Potts to another location, we're not yet certain where."

Obidiah smiles, shuts off the monitor, and turns back to Gohan "Well my boy, as much as I enjoy our talks, I'm going to have to go. It's time for Tony to take his exit."

Gohan tries to shake off his binds  **"NO!!!"**

Obidiah flashes Gohan a fake smile "Aw don't fret, I won't leave you here on your own."

Obidiah then walks out of Gohan's line of sight for a moment, then comes back with a sleeping Goten wrapped up in a blanket in his arms.

"You can watch your brother for me while I'm out." He taunts as he lays Goten down on top of Gohan.

Before Obidiah walks out of the room, Gohan informs the man "Tony won't go down easy. He's a lot stronger than you think."

Gohan hears a door open then Obidiah reply "Maybe he is, but that won't matter with what I have planned."

After that, Gohan hears a door slam shut. Now he's left alone with Goten, trapped and weakened.

"He won't lose to you Stane." Gohan declares with a determined and confident expression, then looks down at Goten, remembering the promise he made to him, which strengthens his resolve "And we won't either."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know the S-Suppressor and how it came to be is a total asspull, but I needed a way for Gohan to be weakened, so there would be a fight and not an immediate victory, and this was the best I could come up with for that to happen.


	10. Birth of Ironman Part 4

Chapter 10

* * *

Pepper and Happy arrive at Stark Industries H.Q.

"Ok Happy, stay out here and I'll be back as soon as I can."

"You got it Pep."

Pepper gets out of the car, goes into the building, and heads straight to Obidiah's office. Thankfully, she finds his laptop sitting on his desk.

Pepper rushes to the desk and puts Tony's flash drive into the computer, causing it to turn on.

She watches as the flash drive does its work, bringing a video file up on the screen.

Pepper is horrified at what the video shows her. It's Tony, restrained, battered, and barely conscious with a bunch of masked men surrounding him while one of them is speaking to the camera. The speech is translated and it reveals it was Obidiah who arranged for Tony to be ambushed and killed during the Jericho demonstration, but the Ten Rings realized who the target was and decided to take him captive instead.

"That bastard!" Pepper shouts, then the video file closes as another one opens, Pepper gasps as the screen shows Gohan tied to a bed with a sleeping Goten on top of him.

"Oh my god!" Pepper exclaims when she realizes that this is live footage.

The computer turns off, Tony's flash drive having copied everything on it. Pepper takes it out and rushes back to the car.

As she gets in, she pulls out the card she got from Coulson and dials the number on it.

"Hello? Agent Coulson? This is Pepper Potts."

"Yes, what can I do for you Ms. Potts?"

"There is a situation going on and we could really use your assistance."

**With Tony:**

Tony runs inside his house and frantically calls out "Gohan!? Goten!?"

Unsurprisingly, there is no response.

He wanders to the living room and sits on the couch, "Shit! Where could he be keeping them?"

Tony's brought out of his thoughts when he hears his phone ring, he checks the caller ID and sees it's Pepper.

When he answers it "Hello? Tony?" Is all he hears Pepper say, before her voice is canceled out by a loud ringing, screeching right into his ears. His body goes into complete paralysis, Obidiah comes into his sight, plucks his phone out of his hand, and hangs it up.

Tony notices the small device in the man's other hand that's causing the sounds and he immediately recognizes it.

"Easy, easy, breathe." Obidiah calmly instructs as he pushes Tony further down on the couch.

Obidiah turns off the device and pulls some tech out of his ears that was keeping him from suffering the same effects as Tony "You remember this beauty?" "It's unfortunate the military passed on these, they have so many applications." 

"Wh...where..are...the boys?" Tony asks.

Obidiah laughs, "You and that older brat are becoming very similar. You really need to worry about yourself right now." "Don't worry, they're ok, and will stay that way as long as they stay in line."

"H...how?" Tony tries to ask.

Knowing what Tony was going to ask, he answers "How I can keep that super brat of yours under my thumb?" "Well thanks to JARVIS' scans of the little one's tail and the talent of my scientists, I'm able to exploit their biology's built in weakness with a drug I call 'S-Suppressor'."

Tony's eyes widen a bit and Obidiah smirks "You know? When I arranged for you to be killed by those morons during the Jericho demonstration, I never expected for you to return."

"But it must of been fate." He continues as he pulls a device from his pocket and uses it to remove the arc reactor from Tony's chest.

"Before the golden goose died, it gave me 3 more golden eggs, this little beauty, and those 2 boys who popped up on your doorstep."

Tony starts wheezing, pure agony branching out through his entire upper body.

"I'm sorry son, but you left me no choice. Keeping this and those super weapon kids to yourself. Your father helped to create the atomic bomb, where would the world be now if he was as selfish as you were?"

The physical pain is temporarily overshadowed by rage and horror, not being able to move or do anything, as this bastard Tony used to see as family monolog on, but mostly he's terrified for his friends, Pepper, and his boys.

"It's too bad you had to involve Pepper in all this, I would have preferred her to live." Obidiah taunts.

"Now with you out of the way, I have this little tech marvel and those boys." "I can return the world to its natural order, with the U.S at the top." "With young Gohan building me an army of those super suits, though they're not going to be as conservative as yours, and with him leading the charge on the front lines, as long as I keep producing S-Suppressor and have sweet little Goten as leverage, he'll have no choice but to answer to me. I'll have an unbeatable army at my disposal."

Obidiah then stands up and starts to walk out, leaving Tony to die. "Goodbye Tony."

Tony listens as Obidiah leaves, and for a moment he thinks it's over, he's gonna die here. Obidiah is gonna kill Pepper, maybe Rhodey and Happy too, and enslave Gohan and Goten into doing his bidding with no one to help them.

But then he remembers, when he and Gohan made the newer arc reactor, he gave the one he made in the cave while in captivity to Pepper, telling her she could do whatever with it, claiming he wasn't sentimental and didn't care.

She brought it back a couple days later, in a display case with a small plaque that said, 'Proof that Tony Stark has a Heart', and a picture she had took of him, Gohan, and Goten all asleep together on the couch during a movie night, with Gohan leaning his head on Tony's shoulder, Goten huddled up in Tony's lap, and each boy having one of Tony's arms wrapped around them.

Tony knew it was still down in the lab, so he uses all of his strength to get up, and starts heading down there.

He manages to get down to the lab and finds what he's looking for. He stumbles over to the table the display case is on, but trips before he can reach it.

Tony starts crawling to the table, and when he gets close enough he tries to pull it down, but he falls again and is unable to reach at it again.

Just when he's starting to fear he really will die before he can stop Obidiah, Tony hears a few beeps and whirs, and sees Dum-E holding the case in his reach.

"Good boy." Tony says in gratitude to the bot as he takes the case from him and smashes it to get to the arc reactor inside.

**With Pepper:**

After Pepper meets up with Coulson and a few of his agents, she shows them the evidence Tony's flash drive got and leads them to where she saw Gohan and Goten being held, recognizing it was one of Stark Industries' buildings.

As they are all about to head inside, Pepper calls Rhodey, who thankfully is still in town.

"Hello? Pep?"

"Rhodey, you need to head to Tony's house right now. I think Obidiah might have hurt him."

"What!? Ok, I'll head there now."

The call disconnects and Pepper leads Coulson and the other agents into the building.

**With Gohan and Goten:**

Gohan keeps trying to power up, to break through the binds holding him down, but this 'S-Suppressor' is keeping him groggy and barely able to move.

As Gohan struggles to get free, he hears a door open.

"Who's there?"

"Don't worry, it's just me." Obidiah replies in a smug tone as he walks into view.

Gohan glares at his captor, then notices the arc reactor in his hand and all the color leaves his face "Where did you get that?"

Obidiah flashes a dark smirk "I think you know where I got this."

"You didn't....you couldn't have." Gohan pleads, not wanting to believe Tony is dead.

Before Obidiah can continue to taunt the boy he's interrupted when both of them hear a door opening "Shit!" 

Obidiah runs out of Gohan's line of sight as he hears some other people moving aroud.

"Hello? Is someone there?" Gohan calls out.

"Gohan?" He hears a familiar voice reply.

"Pepper! Thank goodness! We're over here!" 

Gohan listens as several people's footsteps head his way, a wave of relief coming over him when he sees Pepper, Coulson, and a few other people behind them come into view.

Pepper immediately starts to untie the binds holding him down and pulls the I.V out of his arm "Gohan! My god, what did that sociopath do to you?"

Still not able to move much, but managing to sit up, Gohan explains "Obidiah was able to do something I didn't realize was possible. He created a compound that forces a saiyan into the same state of fatigue and powerlessness as having our tails grabbed."

Pepper picks Goten up and shifts him to one arm and offers her other arm to Gohan "Can you walk or do you need help?"

Gohan tries to get off the bed and immediately falls, but gets caught by Coulson before he hits the ground.

"Sorry, there's still a lot of that stuff in my system. I'm not sure how long it'll be before I'm back to 100%. Thanks for the help Mr. Coulson."

Coulson sits Gohan back on the bed, then turns around and crouches down a bit "Don't mention it. As many questions as I have for you young man, it's gonna have to wait until Obidiah Stane is apprehended. Climb up, and let's get out of here."

Gohan complies, and Coulson and his agents with Pepper in tow start looking around the building for Obidiah, when Gohan informs the group "Obidiah was just here before you came in, he had Tony's arc reactor. I'm worried what he might do with it and that Tony could be seriously hurt."

"I sent Rhodey to the house. So if Tony is hurt, he'll be there any second now and can get him to a hospital." Pepper tries to reassure but sounds uncertain.

Before Gohan can respond to that, a loud rumbling echoes through the room, and the next moment a giant super suit appears and charges at them.

'I didn't think he'd already have a suit built!' "We need to get out of here now!" Gohan orders the group.

The agents cover Coulson and Pepper as they get Gohan and Goten out of the building. But Obidiah tosses them aside one by one as he gives chase.

"What the hell is that!?" Coulson asks.

"Obidiah must have seen Tony's suit and managed to get a version of his own made." Gohan replies.

"Well what can we do against it?"

"Until I recover, all we can do is run."

"Come on kid, you helped Tony make this thing, right? Then you should know it's weaknesses."

"That's just it Mr. Coulson. Unless it's another suit wearer or myself, there are no weaknesses. Nothing can stop it."

**With Tony:**

Tony managed to install the old arc reactor, but passed out for a while afterwards.

He starts to come to when he hears a familiar voice shouting.

"Tony?" "Tony!"

He feels a hand at his back.

He wakes up with a gasp and turns around to see who is in the room with him.

Once he sees who it is, Tony asks "Rhodey? Where are Pepper and the boys? Are they ok?"

"Pepper is ok as far as I know. She's the one who sent me here. I don't know about the boys."

Tony starts to stand up and heads towards the Mark 2 "Well then, I'm gonna have to go find them." 

Rhodey is about to protest, wanting to get his friend to a hospital to make sure he's alright, but is stunned into silence as he watches the suit being put on Tony "That is the coolest thing I have ever seen."

"Ya, it's alright." Tony casually replies as the face plate comes down and he gets ready to take off.

"What can I do Tones?"

Tony just turns to face his friend and answers "Keep the skies clear." Then blasts off.

Rhodey turns to leave and sees a pure silver version of the suit Tony just left in "Hmm, next time." 

Tony is in the sky as he calls Pepper.

"Tony?"

"It's me Pep, are you ok? Did you find the boys?"

"Yes, I'm ok, the boys are with me and agent Coulson." "But Tony, Obidiah has completely lost it, and Gohan's barely able to move on his own because of some stuff Obidiah dosed him with."

With JARVIS tracking Pepper's location through the call, Tony is almost at her location when he sees her holding Goten, Coulson next to her carrying Gohan on his back, and the ground near them starting crack apart.

He sees who he's certain is Obidiah in a giant suit of his own burst out of the ground and aim one of his arms toward Pepper.

He hears Obidiah coldly tell her "Your services will no longer be needed."

Before Obidiah can fire a shot at Pepper, Tony shouts **"Stane!"** Getting Obidiah's attention and distracting him, as he charges the man, sending them both through the ground and crashing through a wall. 

Tony and Obidiah both end up on a crowded highway when they come to a stop. 

Obidiah looks around and sees a van with a woman and children inside heading right towards them. He grabs the vehicle and lifts it off the road.

Tony can hear the screaming coming from the people inside "Put them down Obi."

"Stop playing super hero Tony, it's just collateral damage." Is Obidiah's reply as he's about to toss the vehicle. 

Tony diverts most of his suit's remaining power into his chest reactor and blasts Obidiah, shooting him further back and causing him to lose his grip on the van.

Tony is able to catch the vehicle before it crashes to the ground, but the woman in the driver's seat is panicking and just floors it when he puts them back on the road, causing Tony to be dragged with them for a little bit before he gets loose from the van.

Obidiah charges at Tony and smacks him with a motorcycle he grabbed right out from under its rider, sending Tony crashing into an empty bus.

He then fires several missiles at the bus causing it to explode, shooting Tony into the air and then crashing into the road.

"Sir, there's only 15% power remaining." JARVIS informs.

Tony thinks for a moment, then decides "JARVIS, divert all remaining power into the thrusters and take me to the maximum altitude."

"But sir, with that little amount of power, the odds-" JARVIS tries to protest, but Tony interrupts, "I know the math J, just do it."

The A.I silently complies, and Tony takes off into the air.

**With Pepper, Coulson, Gohan, and Goten:**

"Can Tony win against Obidiah?" Coulson asks.

Gohan nods "Normally I don't think he'd have much of a problem. But I'm not sure what condition he's in or where he got another arc reactor. Obidiah stole the only one we made."

Remembering the one Tony gave her, Pepper asks "If the only arc reactors are the one Obidiah stole and the one Tony gave me that I put in a display case, does that mean he's using the latter?"

Gohan eyes widen and he answers "If he's using the first one he made while in captivity, then he doesn't have much time. It can't sustain his current suit for very long." 

Gohan starts to shift in Coulson's hold.

"Kid, what are you doing?" The agent asks, as he crouches to put Gohan down.

Gohan manages to stay on his feet, then tries to power up.

As his aura bursts to life Gohan replies "I need to go and back Tony up."

Pepper walks over to Gohan and places her free hand on his shoulder "Are you sure Gohan? There's no telling what kinds of side effects that drug can have on you."

Gohan extends his senses and feels Tony and Obidiah high in the air. He looks up in their direction then back towards Pepper "I think it's starting to wear off, so I should be ok. Besides, Tony's arc reactor could give out at any second...and I just can't lose anymore family Pepper. So I'm going to be there this time to help him."

Gohan let's out a battle cry and goes Super Saiyan, then takes off, heading towards Tony and Obidiah.

Coulson, even with his eyes wide and eyebrows shot up, calmly says to Pepper "That's one brave boy."

Pepper clutches the still sleeping Goten a little tighter to herself, and replies "Yes, yes he is."

Gohan heads toward Tony as quick as he can. As he gets closer, he sees Tony ascending higher and higher with Obidiah right under him.

'What is his plan? Is he just trying to keep Obidiah away from civilians? But if that's the case, why go so high up?' Gohan wonders.

He gets his questions answered when he overhears the exchange between the two men after Obidiah grabs Tony's foot.

"No matter how high you go Tony, I'll be able to follow you!"

"Yeah? How'd you fix the icing problem?" 

"Icing problem?"

As Obidiah asks that last question, his suit starts being incased in ice.

Tony breaks free from his grip while Obidiah's suit shuts down and starts to fall.

"I'd get to work on that." Tony quips as he watches the man fall.

Gohan then flash steps in front of Obidiah and drives a kick into the man's chest plate, causing him to shoot towards the ground.

"So that was your plan. I didn't see that coming." Gohan tells Tony as he turns to face him.

"Gohan! Kid, are you ok?" Tony asks in response.

"Yeah, the S-Suppressor is starting to wear off. I should be back at 100% soon, but what about you? Your older arc reactor probably won't last much longer."

Before Tony can answer, he starts to fall.

Gohan rushes to his side, catching Tony and keeping him upright as his suit's emergency back-up power kicks in.

"You got a point there kiddo, hopefully that parting shot you gave Stane finished this."

"Sorry about that, I should of just taken back the arc reactor he stole from you. I was so angry at him, I just moved."

Tony just shrugs "Eh, don't worry about it. He had it coming anyway."

Gohan laughs at that as they start to head back down to Pepper, Coulson, and Goten. 

As they get closer, Tony and Gohan see that Obidiah crashed onto the roof of the building he was holding Gohan and Goten in.

Then to both of their surprise, Obidiah gets back up and fires some more missiles at them.

At that moment, a wave of fatigue comes over Gohan, causing him to drop out of Super Saiyan and making him unable to react.

Tony sees Gohan freeze, so he wraps his arms around the boy and uses himself as a shield to protect him.

The missiles hit their target, and the resulting explosion sends Tony and Gohan crashing onto the same roof Obidiah is on.

Tony, who's somehow still conscious, checks on Gohan "Kid...are you ok?"

Gohan manages a nod "I think so, that damn S-Suppressor. I didn't think it was still running it's course.

Tony huffs a laugh "Uh-oh, looks like I wasn't careful enough with the swearing."

Before Gohan can respond to Tony's quip, Obidiah grabs him and starts trying to crush him with a bear hug.

Obidiah laughs as Tony grunts and struggles to get free, while Gohan is still stuck, unable to move "You know Tony? It's ironic, in trying to rid the world of weapons, you created it's strongest one, and now I'm going to kill you with it!"

Hearing Obidiah's declaration, Gohan becomes enraged, his eyes start flashing back and forth from green to black, sparks are starting to come off him and his hair turns gold, starts to spike up and grow longer.

 **'I AM NOT GOING TO LOSE ANYMORE FAMILY!'**  Gohan internally declares as he gets back on his feet and screams aloud  **"PUT HIM DOWN!"**

A golden aura bursts out around Gohan as he starts powering up.

Obidiah drops Tony, and aims one of his arms at Gohan "Did you really think I wouldn't have this suit prepared to fight you if necessary?"

He fires a canister at Gohan that explodes into a cloud of gas.

Knowing it's more S-Suppressor, Gohan swings his arm, causing a powerful gust of wind that blows the gas away.

Tony looks on in awe, watching as Gohan's hair gets longer and longer and his eyebrows dissappear.

Then he remembers 'This is what happened to him after his mom was killed. He's going into that new Super Saiyan form again.'

Gohan's aura calms, his transformation finished, and in the next instant he's right in front of Obidiah.

The man tries to launch another shot, but before he can, Gohan shoves his hand through the chest part of the armor, where the arc reactor is and tears the power source out. Ripping the whole front portion of the armor off along with it, causing the suit to lose all power and leaving Obidiah wide open.

In the next moment Gohan drives his free hand through Obidiah's chest, and as the man coughs up blood, Gohan looks him in the eye and coldly tells him "I told you I was gonna kill you the second I had a chance."

Gohan pulls his hand back out an shoves Obidiah down.

Tony manages to snap himself out of the shock he was in at Gohan's brutal display when he notices Obidiah landing on the skylight right above the giant arc reactor in the building.

Not wanting to see Gohan go any further, Tony asks JARVIS "J, is the building and the surrounding area empty?"

JARVIS immediately answers "Yes sir, the agents inside evacuated with Agent Coulson, Ms. Potts, and young sir Goten, and the surrounding area is clear of civilians as well."

Getting the confirmation he was hoping for, Tony fires a repulsor blast at the glass holding Obidiah up.

When it shatters and the man starts to fall, Tony taps into his ki and dashes to Gohan.

He grabs the boy by the arm and uses his free hand to fire another blast at the reactor inside the building, and then uses a bit more of his ki to blast off the roof, taking Gohan with him as the building explodes behind them.


	11. Birth of Ironman Part 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long, there has been a lot of family drama and financial troubles to deal with, but things are starting to stabilize. I swear I won't stop working on this.

Chapter 11 

* * *

After Gohan took off to help Tony, Pepper and Coulson helped evacuate the other agents and nearby civilians, but during this whole time, Goten hadn't stirred even once.

As they were getting the last of the people from the area clear, Pepper and Coulson see something from the sky hurdle towards the ground.

"Do you think that was Stane?" Coulson asks as they hear the crash.

"I hope so." Pepper answers, not wanting to think it was Tony or Gohan.

A few moments later, a few more explosions can be seen going off in the sky.

As whatever was hit crash-lands, Goten's eyes shoot open, he looks towards the crash site, and whispers "Uh-oh." 

Pepper and Coulson both hear this and look down at Goten.

"Goten! Are you ok baby?" Pepper asks, relieved Goten finally woke up, but concerned about his strange behavior.

Goten turns to look at Pepper "Mama! Dada an bubba wih bad!"

Pepper tilts her head in question "Dada and bubba are with bad? Obidiah?"

Goten shakes his head "No! Bad bad!"

"What do you think he means by that?" Coulson asks, seemingly nonchalant about getting the play by play from a baby.

Before Pepper can offer any response, she and Coulson are caught off guard by one more huge explosion.

"What the hell!?" Coulson shouts.

Pepper and Coulson are distracted by a bright flash of light and violent tremors, so they don't hear Goten say "Bad bad wen uh-way."

**With Tony and Gohan:**

the shockwave of the explosion sends Tony and Gohan flying.

The strain of the new Super Saiyan form and the S-Suppressor still running it's course catch up to Gohan, causing him to fall back to his base form and pass out.

Tony forces himself upright, pulls Gohan into his arms and begins looking for somewhere to land.

Just as Tony spots Pepper and Coulson and starts heading towards them, the back-up power gives out and he starts to fall.

He hears Pepper scream his name in fear while he plummets.

Even though he's completely exhausted, Tony taps into his ki once more and stops himself and Gohan from crashing into the ground.

He floats for a few seconds right above the ground, but everything that's happened takes its toll. He loses control of his ki and hits the ground.

"Tony! Gohan! Are you two ok!?" Pepper shouts as she runs to them.

Tony pulls the latch holding his helmet in place, takes it off, and looks up at Pepper while still sprawled out on the ground "I'll be fine Pep, nothing a new arc reactor can't fix. And I'm pretty sure the kid justs needs some rest, and time for that crap Obi dosed him with to fully leave his system."

"I'm still taking you both to the hospital." Pepper informs, her tone letting him know not to argue.

"Actually Ms. Potts, I can have a discreet medical team brought here, spare you and Mr. Stark from any possible leaks to the press." Coulson tells them.

Tony shoots Coulson a grateful smirk "I'd appreciate that Agent, but can you guys help me up and get us home before you do that?"

Coulson lightly laughs and calls for some other agents to help get Tony up.

As they arrive, Coulson takes Gohan into his arms while the other agents help Tony to his feet and start leading everyone to their vehicles.

As they are walking, Coulson notices a light coming from Gohan's pocket.

Curious, Coulson pulls the object the light is coming from out to examine it.

"Well Mr. Stark, looks like you won't have to build another new arc reactor now." Coulson informs Tony as he shows him the reactor Gohan had managed to keep intact and slipped into his pocket.

Tony takes the reactor that was stolen from him earlier in the night, then looks over at Gohan 'Even in that state, he was still worrying about someone else.'

"That kid is something else." Tony says while checking the reactor.

"From what I saw, I'm inclined to agree." Coulson replies.

"I'm guessing you're gonna have a lot questions, aren't you?" Tony asks Coulson.

"You got that right, but that can wait until you and your boys are checked out by the medics." Coulson responds.

Tony smiles in gratitude "Thanks Agent." 

As they all arrive back at Tony's house, Tony demands the boy be looked over first, and before anyone can argue, he heads down to the lab and replaces the arc reactor while the medics do as asked and check on Gohan and Goten first.

After both of the boys were given clean bills of health, they were put in their room to rest. Then Tony was checked over and had the injuries he received treated.

Then per Tony and Pepper's request, Coulson had all the other agents leave so they could discuss everything privately.

"So the reason Obidiah tried to kill you, was so he could have unrestricted rule of Stark Industries, restart the weapons division, and have your boy build an army of those super suits of yours and those miniature arc reactors that power them?" Coulson inquires.

"Yep, that's about it." Tony confirms.

"But what about the abilities your boys have?" 

"That's not my story to tell Agent. if Gohan gives the ok, then you'll be told."

Coulson nods in understanding and asks "Well, do you mind if I stay until he's ready to talk?"

Tony and Pepper look to each other and have a silent conversation, after a minute they both turn to Coulson and Tony answers "That'll be fine Agent."

"Great, while we wait, we can work on your story for the press about the fight between you and Stane in those super suits of yours."

**With Gohan:**

Flashes of Obidiah taking Goten right out of his arms appear before Gohan.

The overwhelming frustration and powerlessness come over him in waves as the monster gloats about how he's gonna kill Tony, who has been like a father to him and Goten while he's helpless to stop anything because he underestimated his enemy once again.

And the fear of his baby brother and himself being at the madman's mercy slowly driving him to panic.

The unyielding rage at seeing Obidiah about to go through with his threat of killing Tony, triggering the same Super Saiyan transformation that occurred when his mother was killed.

The horror of his own actions, as he mercilessly renders Obidiah defenseless, and drives his hand through the man's chest even though he was no longer a threat.

Gohan's eyes shoot open and he springs upwards.

He looks down at his hands, expecting to see Obidiah's blood on them and is surprised, not only at finding his hands clean, but at his surroundings 'I'm back in my room, what happened?'

"Young sir Gohan."

Gohan jumps and looks up to the ceiling "JARVIS? What happened?"

"Well young sir, after you lost consciousness, you, young sir Goten, sir, and Ms. Potts were all brought back home, escorted by agent Coulson and a few other agents and we're treated for any injuries." The A.I informs.

"Is everyone ok? Goten, Tony, Pepper? 

"Yes, young sir Goten and Ms. Potts were unharmed, sir's injuries were treated, and the so called 'S-Suppressor' you were dosed with has fully run its course through your system."

"Were any civilians hurt?"

"As far as I am aware, no civilians were killed or critically injured."

Gohan sighs in relief that no innocent people or his family were hurt or in danger anymore, but has to ask "And....and Obidiah?"

"It's to my understanding that he was killed by the original arc reactor exploding and the surrounding building collapsing on top of him."

"What? But I thought..I...killed him."

"Well young sir, while the injury you gave him was severe, my scans indicated he was still alive when sir blasted the skylight that sent him falling into the building."

"He did that so I wouldn't be completely responsible for killing Stane."

"Young sir, do you feel guilty about what happened to Stane?"

Gohan shakes his head "That's just it JARVIS, I dont. After I took Tony's reactor and tore apart Obidiah's suit, when I saw the fear in his eyes as he was completely helpless, I wanted to laugh."

"Does that concern you?"

"Yes. It terrifies me that I can be like that. As much as I hate Obidiah for what he did and tried to do, I shouldn't enjoy my enemies suffering, it makes me just like them, evil."

Before JARVIS can offer any argument to Gohan's train of thought, Goten decides to let his brother know he's awake "Bubba! Bubba!" 

Gohan pushes his dark thoughts about himself away and turns to see Goten's head sticking out from the top of his crib, looking at him with a smile. 

Gohan gets out of bed, walks over to the crib and picks Goten up.

Before Gohan can say anything, Goten smacks his hands on both of Gohan's cheeks.

Goten giggles, then goes into full on laughter while Gohan's expression goes from shocked to an accusing stare.

"What was that for, Goten?"

Goten just flashes him an innocent smile.

Gohan gets a playful gleam in his eyes and cracks a smile "So that's how you want to play it huh?"

Gohan casually walks back to his bed, then lightly tosses Goten on it.

Goten giggles as he bounces, then Gohan goes on the attack by tickling his brother's tummy.

Goten is writhing in laughter while Gohan continues his onslaught "No bubba! Stahp!

"Are you gonna say sorry for smacking me?"

"No!"

"Then I guess I'm not gonna stop."

Goten's resolve lasts about half a minute "I sowwy!"

"Your what?" Gohan asks, pretending not to hear.

"Sowwy bubba!"

Gohan has mercy and stops. He sits down next to his out of breath brother "I accept your apology, but why did you do that?"

Goten crawls onto Gohan's lap, looks up at him into his eyes and says "Bubba no sad."

Gohan looks down at Goten "You were trying to cheer me up?"

Goten just repeats "Bubba no sad."

Gohan stares at Goten for a moment then tells him "You are way too smart for someone who's not even a year old yet."

Goten just gives a toothy grin which gets a laugh out of Gohan.

He looks up to the ceiling and asks "JARVIS, are Tony and Pepper awake?"

"Yes young sir, they and agent Coulson are making breakfast in the kitchen."

"I slept through the night?"

"Affirmative."

"Woah, the S-Suppressor and that new Super Saiyan form really took their tolls on me."

Gohan looks back down at Goten "Well Goten, want to go get some breakfast?"

"Foo!" Goten cheers.

Gohan scoops his brother into his arms and heads to the kitchen.

"Hey everyone." Gohan greets as he walks into the kitchen.

Tony, Pepper, and Coulson all turn to Gohan.

"Hey kiddo, you feeling ok?" Tony asks.

"Yeah, what about you? Any serious injuries from the fight?"

"I'm good, got patched up last night." 

"Good to hear." Gohan replies to Tony then turns to Coulson "Mr. Coulson, I'm guessing your still here because you have some questions for me?"

"That's correct young man." Coulson answers.

"Well before we get to any more serious stuff, we are all going to sit down and have breakfast." Pepper declares.

"Foo!" Goten shouts.

Everyone laughs at that and then they all sit down to eat.

Afterwards, Gohan stands up, Goten still in his arms and says "If your ready Mr. Coulson, I can start answering those questions now."

"Are you sure Gohan?" Tony asks.

"Yeah."

"Alright then, if Gohan trusts you with this Agent, I will too. So let's go." Tony says as he stands up.

"Go where?" Coulson asks.

"To the lab, there are things you are about to be shown Agent. Things that aren't pleasant, and we don't want the little guy to see any of it. So we'll do this in the lab where Dum-E can keep him distracted and vice versa, Dum-E sometimes gets a little crazy with the fire extinguisher." Tony explains as he walks over to Gohan and Goten.

"Dum-Eee!" Goten cheers.

"Yeah monkey, let's go see Dum-E." Tony replies as he takes Goten into his arms from Gohan, then starts blowing raspberries on his neck.

"Follow us Mr. Coulson." Gohan says as he and Tony start heading to the lab.

Coulson and Pepper both get up and start following Tony and Gohan, while Goten laughs as Tony continues tickling the infant.

When they get to the lab, Dum-E comes rolling to Tony, seeing Goten in his arms.

"Dum-Eee!" Goten shouts, reaching out to the bot.

Dum-E let's out a serious of excited beeps and pokes at Goten with his claw.

"Hmph, never been that excited when I come down here. You got a new favorite huh?" Tony playfully grumbles while taking Goten to where he and Dum-E usually play.

Tony puts Goten down while Pepper gets out some blocks that usually keep the baby and bot occupied.

Tony, Pepper, and Gohan lead Coulson to the opposite side of the lab.

"JARVIS, bring up the memory recordings." Tony tells his A.I.

A screen pops up in front of them.

"Memory recordings?" Coulson asks.

"Yep, with some tech of mine, we recorded Gohan's memories. This way he won't have to explain as much." Tony explains.

"If your ready Mr. Coulson?" Gohan asks.

"I'm ready."

Gohan nods and JARVIS silently starts the memory playback.

Hours later, everyone was sitting with Goten and Dum-E, playing with them while Coulson processed everything he was just shown.

"Are you ok Mr. Coulson?" Gohan asks.

"Yeah, just a lot of things to absorb."

"Do you have any more questions?"

"Not about your past, you explained everything clearly."

"But you do have more questions."

"What's your progress on opening another portal to get you and your brother back home?"

Tony, Pepper, and Gohan all wince at Coulson's question, but then Gohan looks at them and Goten, thinks back on the time he's spent here with them, how close they've all gotten, and comes to a decision.

Tony looks down at Goten happily stacking blocks with Dum-E. Then at Pepper, who's watching the infant with sad eyes. Next at the picture of him and the boys he salvaged from the wreckage of the display case and put in a frame that was sitting on a nearby table. And finally, at Gohan who appears to be in deep thought.

After all the time they've spent together since that portal dropped the boys here, and everything they just went through because of Obidiah, Tony sees Gohan and Goten as his family, and he knows Pepper does too. But he doesn't want to stand in the way if going home is what Gohan wants.

Tony thinks about saying something, but before he can, Gohan answers "Actually, I don't think we should try to open the portal anymore."

Tony and Pepper both turn to him with shocked looks and in unison ask "What?"

"Why's that?" Coulson asks.

"It's not worth it. I miss my friends, sometimes so much that it hurts. But Goten and I have a family here in Tony, Pepper, Happy, Rhodey, and JARVIS and Dum-E too. So even if we somehow succeeded in opening a portal back to where we came from, we'd be losing our family all over again, just to go back to an empty house." Gohan explains.

Coulson nods in understanding and Pepper has tears starting to form in her eyes.

Tony wants to just accept this, to not have to worry about the pain sending the boys back to their original home would cause anymore, but can't stop himself from asking "But kid, are you sure?"

Gohan turns to Tony and nods "Yeah, I've been thinking about this for a little while now. I mean, even if I wanted to try anymore, there are so many potential problems. For one, if we actually managed to open a portal again, there's no guarantee that it would lead back to where I came from. And even if it did, there's no telling how much time has passed there compared to here. For all we know it could be like the hyberbolic time chamber, nearly 7 months here could equal years, centuries, or even millenia there."

"True, but what if time doesn't go any faster or slower there than it does here?" Tony asks.

"I've thought about that too. If the same amount of time has passed there that it has here, then that means it's been nearly 7 months since Goten and I vanished. And in that time, Bulma, Piccolo, Krillin, and the others probably used earth and Namek's dragon balls to try to get us back, but even the Eternal dragons couldn't find us, or at least not have the power to bring us back. So the only chance would be for Bulma to figure out multiverse travel to attempt to find us, and for all we know there are an infinite number of realities. She would take that into account and realize it's more than likely impossible."

"You think she'd just give up?"

"Probably not at first, but she has a family and life of her own, life goes on. She'll try everything she can, and even though she's one of most brilliant and stubborn people I've ever met, she can only do so much on her own. Eventually everyone there will move on, I'm sure of it. Their earth will be safe with Piccolo and Vegeta there, so there's nothing to worry about, they'll be fine."

Tony nods, agreeing with Gohan's points, and not wanting to try to change his mind, says "Well Gohan, if that's your decision, we are more than happy for you both to stay here."

"That's right, you boys are our family too." Pepper adds.

"Thank you, Dad, Mom." Gohan replies.

Tony and Pepper's smiles get a little brighter at that.

Coulson smirks a little at the 'moment' he just watched the new 'Stark Family' have, but gets back to business "Everyone, I appreciate the trust you all put in me for telling me all of this and I don't want to betray it, but there is one person I need to tell about it."

That gets everyone's attention, they all turn to Coulson and Tony asks "Who would that be?"

"My boss, and a good friend. He's a little extreme sometimes, but he always has the best interest of the people in mind."

"Can we meet him before you tell him everything?" Gohan asks.

"I'll wait to inform him on everything about your origin until he meets you."

"Thank you Mr. Coulson."

"Well Agent, now that we've got all that out of the way, what's next?" Tony asks.

"Now Mr. Stark, we finish getting your statement to the public ready."

**A Few Days Later:**

After preparing a speech for the public to explain about what the headlines were calling the 'Ironman', Tony called a press conference and was getting ready to give the story Coulson and he agreed on.

Tony, Gohan, and Goten are sitting in a backroom waiting for Pepper and Coulson to call them out.

"'Ironman', pretty catchy. Even though it's not iron, it's a gold titanium alloy." Tony quips while looking through the newspaper article about the fight.

"It is a pretty cool name." Gohan agrees.

"Well remember boys, Tony is supposed to be telling these people that he wasn't the one in that 'Ironman' armor." Pepper reminds them as she and Coulson come into the room.

"We're ready for you Mr. Stark."Coulson informs.

"I don't know Agent, a bodyguard working the suit? You really think anyone is gonna buy that?" Tony asks, beginning to doubt this plan.

"This isn't my first rodeo. Trust me, it'll work."

While temtpted to ask Coulson what he means by that, Tony decides not to argue it, and they all get up and head to the reporters waiting for them.

Tony moves to the podium,  and addresses the crowd "Hello everyone, I'm sure you have a lot of questions about this 'Ironman'.

The reporters fire barrage of questions and Tony points to a familiar looking blond woman.

"Mr. Stark, are you really going to try to tell us that it wasn't you in that armor?"

"Of course it wasn't me, I'm not exactly a superhero type."

"I didn't say superhero."

"You didn't?"

Tony looks back at Pepper and the boys, weighs the pros and cons about keeping this lie going, or just telling the truth.

He turns back "Yeah, well, I don't really fit that description anyway. The truth is...the truth is-"

'If you think telling the truth is what's best, I'm with you dad.' Tony hears Gohan's voice in his mind.

Tony considers all of the possible options and outcomes for a moment, then makes the decision "I am Ironman."

**That Night:**

Tony, Pepper, Gohan, and Goten are finally getting home after the uproar that Tony telling the truth caused.

"Ugh, you boys really know how to make things difficult for me." Pepper says, exasperated but resigned to the craziness that seems to gravitate to these people she calls family.

"Sorry about that Pep." Tony says.

"Yeah, sorry. I just figured it would be better if he was honest about this." Gohan adds.

"Ah don't worry about it, it wouldn't be as interesting if you guys made things easy." Pepper answers fondly.

They are all about to enter the house when Goten starts fidgeting in Gohan's arms.

"What's wrong Goten?" Gohan asks. 

Goten just points to the house.

Gohan extends his senses and feels someone in the house.

"Kid, what's up?" Tony asks.

"There's someone inside." Gohan answers.

Tony's expression turns serious "Pep, take Goten and stay out here, ok?"

"Ok, be careful." Pepper says as she takes Goten from Gohan.

Gohan and Tony head inside.

'They're in the living room.' Gohan telepathically informs Tony.

'How many?' Tony asks.

'Just one.'

They move to the living room and see a figure staring out at the view from the floor to ceiling windows.

"Who are you?" Gohan asks the stranger.

"'I am Ironman.' You think you and your kids are the only superheroes in the world? Mr. Stark, you and your boys have become part of a bigger universe, you just don't know it yet." The man says as he turns to face them.

"My kid just asked you a question. Who the hell are you?" 

"Nick Fury, director of SHIELD."

"Oh." Tony replies.

"I'm here to talk to you both about the Avengers Initiative."

**Unknown Location:**

"So your finally awake."

"Ugh, where am I? Who the hell are you?" A familiar voice asks while looking at his surroundings but seeing nothing but darkness.

"Your somewhere safe, a place to recover from the brutal injuries Stark and that Saiyan brat gave you. As to who I am, I'm the one who saved your life, and someone who can help you get the power you need to actually take them down."

"What do you know about that saiyan brat?"

"I know what it's going to take to kill him."

"Well that's all I need, but why do you need me?"

"Well Mr. Stane, like those saiyan wretches, I'm not from this world and I could use an ally who knows it well. In exchange for your cooperation in navigating this world, I'll help you attain the power necessary to take on this new Stark family."

"Well whoever you are, I'm interested, where do we start?"

"I have a few things in mind."

Suddenly, a light comes on, revealing what looks to be a lab, Obidiah looks around and sees a few pod like machines that contain a few other alien looking beings.

He turns and sees who he must of been talking to and their strange body.

"Well your clearly also some kind of alien, who the hell are you?"

"I'm all that's left of a race that was massacred by the saiyans, an envoy of vengeance."

"But what do I call you?"

"I don't really have a name. I was created by the king of my fallen race, the tuffles, just before they were killed. He only called me 'Baby'."


	12. Recruitment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Life's new norm sets in as a new mission begins.

Chapter 12

* * *

**Location Stark Family Malibu Home:**

2 months have passed since the day Tony revealed himself as Ironman, and the night the mysterious Nick Fury showed up and told him and Gohan about the 'Avengers Initiative'.

Fury wouldn't go into too much detail, except that it was a special team meant to be the last line of defense for the planet, and Tony and Gohan were up for consideration to be members.

The last bit of info he gave before he left was another person of interest he wanted them to look into for the initiative, Bruce Banner.

After Fury was gone, Tony, Gohan, and Pepper all discussed it and decided to accept the offer.

Tony saw it as a good opportunity to help people, to make up for the mistakes of his past, to atone.

Gohan gave it a lot of thought, and decided that he would still be a warrior and protect others. And he figured it would be good to do it through a group like this where he wouldn't have to hide his abilities as much as he did back home.

Pepper wasn't a huge fan of the idea, but she knew this was what Tony and Gohan wanted, and she figured there wouldn't be many if any potential enemies in the future that could threaten them since they destroyed all the S-Suppressor.

Afterwards, Tony had JARVIS put a metaphorical ear to the ground so they would know any info on Bruce Banner's location if and when he came out of hiding.

Tony was irritated at Fury for dumping this search on him, but he was excited to meet the man.

He saw and appreciated the level of intelligence Banner clearly had, and he was also fascinated by the 'Big Green Rage Monster' he'd turn into when angry or threatened.

Tony also saw the potential fun they could have sciencing it up together, and he wanted to bring the man out of the cold. So he held his tongue and started the search.

After learning about what happened to him, Gohan was also looking forward to meeting Doctor Banner, thinking he might be able to help the man control his transformation.

Until any news came up, the new Stark family went back to their new 'normal' routine.

**With Tony and Gohan:**

After wrapping up some current Stark Industries projects and the latest upgrades to the armor, Tony and Gohan were heading to the home gym for some training.

Tony had recently added holo-projecters that projected physical holograms. He placed them throughout the entire room so they could train in multiple different terrains, and he also made training drones similar to the ones Gohan saw Bulma make for Vegeta.

Gohan was impressed with it all. The room itself was bigger than the rooms Vegeta would use for his training, the drones were even more state of the art than Bulma's, but instead of creating a machine to increase the intensity of gravity in the room, Tony and Gohan decided on the holo-projecters, figuring that they wouldn't need that much, and practicing on all the potential battle grounds on this earth was better practice for possible future Avengers missions.

"Alright dad, are you ready yet?" Gohan calls out, dressed in his gi similar to the one he wore during the Cell Games, except he now has a white undershirt on under the usual purple overshirt.

"Yep, and I'm starting to like these outfits." Tony answers as he comes into the room in the new training outfit Gohan made him, a long sleeved yellow undershirt, yellow pants, a red tunic, a black belt, and red wristbands.

Gohan chuckles "I thought you would." he figured Tony would enjoy a gi if he made it in a similar color scheme to his Ironman armor.

After looking himself over for a bit in a mirror, Tony turns to Gohan "So what's the plan for today kiddo?"

"Well first I want to try flying again. Then if that goes well, some ki blasts." Gohan replies. After so many close calls from falls, Gohan wants to make sure Tony has full control of his ki, incase his armor malfunctions.

"Sounds good, I'm ready to go. Let's get started." Tony signals to JARVIS, and the room transforms into a wide expanse of grasslands.

"Ok, now focus on your ki. Surround yourself with it, then bring it between you and the ground." Gohan instructs.

Tony closes his eyes, thinks back to the times he was able to float before, and how it felt when he did.

He follows Gohan's instructions, concentrates on his ki, feels his energy flowing inside and around him. He then takes control of it and tries forcing more of it between the bottom of his feet and the ground.

"That's it, your doing it!" Gohan happily exclaims.

Tony opens his eyes and sees he's at least half a foot off the ground.

"Holy shit, I'm doing it!" Tony shouts.

"11,000$ on 'Swear Jar' now sir." JARVIS informs.

"Don't be a party pooper JARVIS, I'm concentrating. Besides, only 7 slip ups in 2 months, I'd call that great progress." Tony counters, sticking his tongue out at the ceiling.

Hearing a snort from below, Tony looks down at Gohan and sees the boy trying to suppres a laugh.

"What? A grown man bickering with a voice from the ceiling is amusing to you?" Tony asks with a raised brow and a smirk.

Unable to hold it in after Tony's fake serious tone, Gohan let's the laugh out "Maybe a little bit."

Tony laughs at Gohan's answer, then starts trying to move through the air.

Impressed at Tony getting the hang of flying around so quickly, Gohan just sits back and observes for a bit.

After a few minutes of letting Tony get the hang of his ki control while airborne, he asks "You think your ready to try ki blasts now?"

Tony turns to Gohan and starts descending back to the ground "Might as well, I'm on a roll today."

As Tony lands, Gohan explains "Alright then, start channeling your Ki to your hands."

Tony does as instructed and feels the warmth of the energy building up in his hands.

"Good, now draw it out."

Tony complies, and after a bit of concentration, he has an energy ball in each hand.

"You did it dad! You really are on a roll today." Gohan praises.

"You got that right buddy boy." Tony replies, proud and cocky for a moment, but he then looks at his hands, then back to Gohan, and asks "Uhh...now what do I do with these?"

Gohan laughs again, considers the options, and decides "Well how about some target practice?"

"Good call. J?"

JARVIS wordlessly activates a few of the drones and they start flying around the room at a moderate speed.

"Now this should be the easiest for you, just aim and expel the energy."

Tony's eyes follow the drones as they shoot across the room, he waits for one to get to just the right spot, then fires one of the blasts.

After a direct hit, the drone crashes to the ground.

"Kick ass!" Tony cheers, fist pumping the air with his now free hand.

"11,100$ now sir." JARVIS quips.

"Not now JARVIS, I'm busy being awsome." Tony jabs back as he shoots down the second drone with his other ki blast.

"Of course sir, my apologies, how rude of me." JARVIS says, the sarcasm in his tone palpable.

"That's better." Tony quips back.

"Heh, well if you 2 are done with the verbal sparring, how about some physical sparring?" Gohan says, joining the banter.

"Uh-oh JARVIS, your sass is rubbing off on the boy. You better dial it in or I'll have an uprising on my hands." Tony warns, waving his finger sternly at the ceiling.

"I'll try my best sir." 

Tony and Gohan both laugh at JARVIS' response, then take their stances and are about to start, when Pepper comes in with Goten in her arms "Hold up you 2, I need to head back to the office, so you'll have to watch Goten."

"Sure thing, let's call it a day kiddo." Tony tells Gohan, then coming up with a fun idea, starts approaching Pepper and Goten while trying to hide his smirk.

Knowing that look on her boss' face, Pepper gives Tony a suspicious glare and asks "What are you up to Mr. Stark?"

Tony feigns innocence as he takes Goten from Pepper and shifts him to one arm, then raps his other one around Pepper's waist "Oh nothing Ms. Potts, I just want to show you and Goten what I learned today."

Pepper looks to Gohan and sees a similar smirk on the boy's face. But before she could ask him what Tony's up to, her feet leave the floor and her eyes widen in shock.

She looks down and sees that Tony has them hovering over the ground.

"Oh my god!" She shouts as she wraps her arms around Tony to keep from falling.

Tony laughs at her surprise and speeds up a bit, going a couple of laps around the room.

Goten giggles, then goes into hysterical laughter as they go higher and faster.

Gohan laughs at the sight, then flies up to his family and plucks Goten out of Tony's arm.

"Bubba!" Goten shouts in greeting as Gohan takes him into his arms.

Tony wraps his other now free arm around Pepper and spins around in the air. Then deciding that's enough fun, goes to land.

"God Tony! Give me a warning next time." Pepper scolds, slightly out of breath.

"Sorry Pep, just wanted to make sure you were fully awake before you went in to work." Tony replies with a grin.

Pepper is about to continue her scolding but hears Goten start shrieking. She and Tony look up and see Gohan lightly tossing Goten up and catching him while still flying around the room.

The mini lecture Pepper was going to give Tony is lost as she enjoys the sight of Gohan and Goten laughing and messing around, looking so much lighter and carefree.

She smiles and decides to let Tony off the hook for now. "I'll see you boys later, try not to blow anything up."

"One minor explosion, and you never hear the end of it." Tony playfully grumbles.

Gohan floats down next to Tony at his eye level in a sitting position with Goten in his lap.

Wanting to give Pepper something she can use for payback, he decides to let slip "Well it wasn't just one, I think there were at least fou-"

Tony covers Gohan's mouth with his hand before the boy can finish that sentence and tries to distract Pepper "Hey aren't you going to be late? Don't worry, we'll be fine."

Pepper shoots Tony a knowing look "Alright, I'm heading out, we'll talk about this later."

After Pepper leaves the room, Tony turns to Gohan "Little traitor. Don't forget you caused one of those explosions."

Gohan gives Tony an innocent smile "Sorry about that."

Tony smirks at Gohan's playfulness and ruffles his hair "Yeah I bet you are. Come on, let's go change. Then we can figure out what to do for the rest of the day."

After changing back to their normal clothes, Tony, and Gohan, with Goten, head to the as Pepper now calls it 'Family Room' to watch a movie.

They were partway through 'Monster's Inc', which had all of Goten's attention focused on it when Gohan decides to ask "Has there been any new updates on Doctor Banner yet?"

"Nothing since the incident at that factory in Brazil. He's pretty good at covering his tracks, but now that that bast- I mean jerk Ross is chasing him again, it might cause him to make a mistake that JARVIS can pick up on, hopefully it won't be much longer before we find him." Tony replies.

"For his own sake and for those soldiers Ross keeps throwing at him." Gohan adds, a bit of worry leaking out in his voice.

"It'll be ok little man, we'll find him eventually. Until then, it's fine to relax and have fun when we have the time to. Just enjoy the moment." Tony tries to reassure.

Before Gohan can respond, Goten's laughter distracts him. 

He turns to his brother and sees him copying the little girl in the movie, jumping around and shouting "Boo!"

Tony laughs at Goten's antics, and Gohan cracks a smile "Yeah, your right. Nothing to do but enjoy the moment."

The rest of the day goes on peacefully. Tony and Gohan keep Goten entertained with movies, cartoons, and games. Then while Goten was down for a nap, Gohan helped Tony with a few more Stark Industries projects. Afterwards, while Tony replied to emails and signed some documents, Gohan did his daily world history catch up with JARVIS.

After Pepper returned home and lectured both Tony and Gohan on lab safety, they all sat down for dinner, and watched another movie together. Then after it was finished, it was time to go to bed.

Gohan dreads going to sleep, but doesn't let it show as he goes through his usual night time routine.

He just gets dressed in his sleep clothes, brushes his teeth, has a laugh with Tony and Pepper as they dress Goten in one of his hooded animal onesies with ears sticking out on the top (tonight's being bear) and watching Goten pretend he is that animal for a little bit before laying him down in his crib.

After saying his goodnights to them all, and unable to put it off anymore, Gohan reluctantly lays down in his own bed and closes his eyes.

**With Gohan:**

Once again, Gohan finds himself back at that rooftop on the night he almost murdered Obidiah, except this time Tony doesn't interfere.

"Ok! You win! I surrender! Please stop!?" Obidiah begs as he spits up some blood.

"Stop? We're just getting started." Gohan answers with a smirk.

Gohan pulls Obidiah out of the wreckage of his armor and holds him up in the air by his throat with one hand. Then with one finger from his free hand, starts shooting him with small ki beams.  

" **AUGHH!!!**  I'm begging you, please stop!?" Obidiah pleads.

Gohan justs chuckles at Obidiah's screams of agony and shoots more beams that drill through his shoulders, knees, and torso.

"Come on, be honest now, if the roles were reversed here, would you stop?" Gohan asks. 

Obidiah doesn't respond.

"Yeah, I thought as much." Gohan says as he shoots another beam that pierces one of Obidiah's lungs. 

"Gohan! That's enough! He's already beaten! You don't have to go any further!" Tony shouts.

Internally Gohan's saying 'He's right, there's no reason to do this.' But aloud says "Your right, the fight is over, but he still hasn't suffered enough."

"But kid-" Tony tries to argue, but Gohan interrupts "But nothing! This man has caused the deaths of who knows how many innocent people by selling weapons to terrorists, knowing full well what they were going to do with them, just to satisfy his selfish desire for power and money. No justice system in the universe will give him the punsihment he deserves. They'd either put him in prison for the rest of his life where he could still potentially hurt others, or give him a quick death. Either of those options would be far too lenient, he deserves to feel the pain of all of the people he's hurt before he dies. I'm going to make sure that happens."

Gohan let's go of Obidiah's throat and drives a punch into his gut, sending him skyrocketing into the air.

He then flash steps to him and delivers another brutal blow, shooting Obidiah even further up. He repeats this process several times while making sure he doesn't kill the man yet.

 **"PLEASE!! HAVE MERCY!!!"**  Obidiah wails.

'Stop, this has gone way too far! This isn't accomplishing anything!' Gohan internally screams at himself, then aloud whispers to himself in response "Of course it's accomplishing something. It's making me feel better."

Then loud enough for Obidiah to hear, Gohan replies "Sorry, I'm all out of that." Then aims a devastating kick to the base of Obidiah's spine that sends him hurtling back towards the roof where Tony is.

Before Obidiah can crash through the roof, Gohan flash steps right under him and runs through the man's gut with his fist.

Obidiah coughs blood all over Gohan. Then as he's wheezing his final breath, Gohan turns to Tony and sees the horrified look on his face.

'He thinks I'm a monster now, and he's not wrong.' Gohan mentally laments but externally keeps that same smirk on his face and calmly tells Tony "Don't worry, I made sure you weren't in the splash zone."

He turns back to look at Obidiah and with the hand that isn't impaling the man, completely obliterates him with a ki blast.

Gohan watches the ashes rain down for a bit then looks over at the skylight where the remains of Obidiah's armor lays. When he does, instead of seeing his own face in the reflection, he sees Frieza's.

Startled, Gohan shouts in surprise and looks around himself. He notices that Tony is gone and no one else is around. So he calls out "Dad? Are you ok? Where did you go?" 

He flies off in search of Tony, Pepper, and Goten, hoping Tony just went on ahead and he'll find them all together. But no matter how long he looks, he can't find them.

"I don't understand, where could they be?" Gohan asks himself in frustration, not expecting to get an answer, when a familiar voice replies "Where do you think my dear boy? They left you, just like the rest of your family." 

All the color drains from Gohan's face and a shiver runs down his spine. He turns to the direction the voice came from and to his horror, sees Cell standing just a few feet away from him.

"Cell!? How are you here!? You're supposed to be dead! And what do you mean they left me!? They'd never do that!"

Cell just chuckles "Of course they would, after enough time seeing what your capable of, everyone you care about will see you as the monster you are and abandon you before you can get them killed."

"I'm not a monster! I only fight and kill when it's necessary for the greater good!" 

Cell bursts out laughing "You can't be serious! Was it for the greater good that even when you had me cornered and could have killed me at anytime, you instead pulled a Vegeta and completely beat me down, humiliated and demoralized me?"

Gohan recoils at the truth of Cell's words, but before he can compose himself and try to respond, another familiar voice speaks up "That's right, you looked like you were having more fun than I did when I impaled your little bald friend with my horn, or when I blew him up."

Gohan stares in shock as Frieza appears next to Cell.

"Frieza!?" Gohan shouts in disbelief, then shakes his head and replies "I'm nothing like you 2. You hurt and kill people on a whim to satisfy your sick egos, I do it to punish evil people like you!"

Cell and Frieza both start laughing, then a couple more familiar voices join in on their laughter.

"I don't know about that? Did you 2 see that distinction when he got you killed?" Frieza asks the newcomers.

Tears start to form in Gohan's eyes as Goku and Chi-Chi appear next to Cell and Frieza.

"Nope, he was exactly the same as you guys. Don't you think so Chi-Chi?" Goku responds.

"Oh absolutely. Completely cold blooded and cruel." Chi-Chi nonchalantly replies.

"How can you say that!? You did the exact same thing with Frieza on Namek after he killed Krillin." Gohan accuses Goku while the tears start to fall.

"Yeah, at first that was what I was doing, but when I calmed down I decided to spare Frieza after I defeated him, to try and teach him humility and mercy." Goku counters.

"That completely backfired on you and he tried to kill you the second you dropped your guard! Then because you still held back and spared him again, Frieza came to earth with the intention of killing us all! If Trunks hadn't shown up when he did, we would have all been killed!" Gohan yells, finally letting out some of his anger at Goku.

"But what you did was worse. Sure Goku was naive and let someone he shouldnt have go, but he just wanted to see the best in everybody. You Gohan, you just tortured your enemies for your own satisfaction, to the point where when Cell was going to self destruct to destroy the earth, Goku took it as an out to get as far away from you as he could. Why else would he refuse to be brought back to life?" Chi-Chi retorts.

As if having the wind knocked out of him, Gohan falls to his knees and tries to catch his breath, but the tears just won't stop coming and his vision starts to blur "I'm...n-not a monster. I only get like th-that when I-I can't con-control my sa-saiyan side."

Cell, Frieza, Goku, Chi-Chi start to laugh again.

"Sorry to break it to you kid, not even full blooded saiyans go as far as you when taking someone out." Frieza taunts.

"That's right, it's not just the primal saiyan urges, it's you. You're what's wrong Gohan, and soon you're going to drive away your little surrogate family just like you did with your blood family. I bet even your sweet little brother won't stick by you long." Cell adds.

Gohan, unable to handle watching and listening to his worse enemies and his own biological parents taunt him any longer, closes his eyes, covers his ears with his hands, and says "They saw all of my memories and they still took me and Goten in! They won't turn their backs on me!"

All Gohan's tormentors just continue laughing, and don't stop. 

Even though his ears are covered, Gohan can still hear all of the sickening laughter. So to try and drown them out, he just starts repeating "They won't, they won't, they won't." while trying to keep himself from panicking.

 **"THEY WON'T!!!"**  Gohan screams as his eyes snap open and he shoots upward on his bed.

Realizing it was all just a nightmare, he tries to calm his breathing. He can just barely hear JARVIS telling him the date, time, and his location.

"Should I inform sir, or Ms. Potts that you need their assistance?" JARVIS asks.

Gohan shakes his head and looks to the ceiling "No. No thank you JARVIS, I'm ok now. It was just a nightmare."

Gohan slowly gets out of his bed, checks to make sure Goten is still asleep, then, thankful that he somehow didn't wake his brother up, he heads to the home gym to work off this anxiety.

He doesn't bother changing into a gi and just has JARVIS use the holo-projecters to put Cell and Frieza's forms on two training drones.

**With Tony**

"Sir? Sir, please wake up." Tony faintly hears.

"Hmm? JARVIS? What's up? What time is it?" 

"It's 2:30 a.m sir. My apologies, but you instructed me to wake you if something was wrong with either of the young sirs."

Fully waking up at that, Tony sits up and asks "What happened J?"

"From what I could hear him say in his sleep, it appears young sir Gohan was having a terrible nightmare. He awoke screaming. Then when I asked if he would like me to alert you or Ms. Potts of his distress, he refused and has now spent the past 45 minutes in the gym destroying drone after drone."

Tony gets out of bed, heads to the boys' room to quickly check on Goten, then heads down to the gym and sees Gohan destroying half a dozen drones that the holo-projecters are making look like the monsters he had to fight in his past.

After the last drone ceases to function, Tony hears Gohan say "I'm nothing like you."

Then as Gohan looks towards the ceiling, probably about to ask JARVIS to bring out more drones, Tony makes his presence known "How about you take a break?"

Gohan jumps in surprise and turns to Tony.

"Dad? How long have you been there?"

"Not long, I just got here. Come with me."

Tony turns to leave and Gohan follows him, expecting to be going back to his room, but instead Tony leads him to the lab.

"Why are we in the lab?"

"I usually come here when I can't sleep, I work on projects to clear my head and get my thoughts and feelings sorted out." Tony explains as a bunch of holo-screens appear around him.

He touches one and with a flicking motion, sends it to Gohan "Wanna look that one over for me?"

"Ok." Gohan complies, and for the next half hour that's all they do, Tony checking and altering models and schematics on the multiple screens at once, then sending one Gohan's way to double-check after he's finished looking over the previous one.

Tony figures Gohan's had enough time now to clear his head and sort through his feelings, so he motions to JARVIS to save their progress and shut everything down. He then turns to Gohan and gestures to the nearby couch he keeps down here and walks over there to sit.

Gohan follows and sits next to him.

They sit in silence for a minute, then Tony asks "So, you wanna tell me what's on your mind kid?"

Gohan hesitates for a moment, the taunts of his nightmare's versions of Cell, Frieza and his biological parents echoing in his head, but decides to answer Tony's question with another question "You remember the night on that roof? When I snapped and was about to kill Obidiah?"

Tony blinks in surprise at Gohan's answer but replies "Yeah, what about it?"

"Did you finish him off before I could because you knew I wasn't going to end it quickly?"

"What do you mean?"

"Could you tell that I was going to drag it out like I did with Cell?"

"Honestly, I wasn't thinking about that. I just didn't want you to have to finish it. You've had to do that kind of stuff way too much already. Besides, I was blind to Obi's true nature and his little side buissnes. So it was my responsibility to make up for it by stopping him."

Gohan breathes a small sigh of relief at Tony's answer.

"Was that what your nightmare was about? That night, the fight with Obi?"

"Yes, but instead of you stoping me and finishing the fight yourself, I tortured him. You begged me to stop, Obidiah begged me to stop, I was internally screaming at myself to stop, but I wouldn't. I just kept inflicting him with excruciating pain, and I had that same smirk I had in my fight against Cell the whole time, even as I reduced him to dust." Gohan explains with a grim tone.

Tony was shocked, but just places a hand on Gohan's shoulder in support "Did anything eles happen afterwards?"

"I looked at the remains of Obidiah's armor and noticed my reflection, but it wasn't my face I was looking at, it was Frieza's."

Gohan pauses for a bit to try and keep his composure "Then you were gone, so I went looking for you, mom, and Goten. But no matter how long I looked, I couldn't find you."

Tony notices tears starting to build up in Gohan's eyes, but he doesn't say anything. He just gives his shoulder a few pats to let the kid know he's still here and will be while he gets everything from this nightmare off his chest.

"When I couldn't find any of you, Cell showed up and said that you all had abandoned me. I told him you wouldn't do that, but then Frieza appeared and said that what I did to Obidiah and Cell during our fights was no different than what he did to Krillin back on Namek. I told them that I wasn't like them, I didn't like hurting people, I just did it when necessary. But then....but then my birth parents appeared and said Cell and Frieza were right, that I was a monster.....and it wouldn't be long before you, mom, and even Goten would realize it and abandon me before I could get you all killed too." 

The tears start to fall from Gohan's eyes as he finishes explaining his nightmare.

Tony doesn't say anything at first, he's devastated to see that Gohan seems to agree with what his nightmare tormentors said about him, that the boy blames himself for his parents choosing to stay gone, and assuming one day, he, Pepper, and even Goten would start thinking this way too. He knows it's not true but isn't sure what to say to prove it. 

Taking Tony's silence the wrong way, Gohan assumes the worst and turns to him to ask "You think I'm a monster, don't you?"

Gohan's question and resigned tone gets Tony to put his doubts about what to do aside and he pulls the boy into a hug "No, you're definitely not a monster Gohan."

"But-" Gohan tries to argue but Tony cuts him off "But nothing. Now I may not be a psychologist, but ever since you were little, you were thrown into one horrifying situation into the next. Situations that most adults wouldn't be able to cope with at all. And you just kept rolling with the punches, always putting everyone else's well being over your own. Plus you never exactly got a lot of free time to deal with all the feelings those events caused, or anyone willing to help you work through them, like you were just expected to get over it and act like it never happened. All that, plus being a hybrid of a human and saiyan, two races that clearly don't deal with their feelings as much as they should, caused you to bottle everything up and lash out when you could against the monsters that really deserved it."

Gohan looks up at Tony as he continues "Considering everything you've been through, the way the people in your life who should have protected and reassured you during and after the hard times acted, you divided yourself into a fighter who could and would destroy anyone who would threaten you or your loved ones, and a kind, gentle, kid who would try every other method to solve a problem before resulting to violence as a last resort as a way to cope. It makes sense. It may not be the healthiest thing to do, but with what you had to work with, I'd say you turned out amazing."

"Do...do you really think that?" Gohan asks.

"Your damn right I do." Tony confidently replies.

"11,200$ on 'Swear Jar' now sir." JARVIS informs.

Tony and Gohan both look up at the ceiling, then start laughing. 

After calming down again, Gohan says "Well that certainly lightened the mood."

Tony chuckles "Yeah, I'll say." then gets serious again "Sorry I left you hanging back there, I was lost in thought and let you come to the wrong conclusion. I'm still trying to figure this whole parenting thing out, and my dad wasn't exactly a good teacher on the subject, so I'm kinda playing this by ear. Are you feeling any better Gohan?"

"Yeah, I'm feeling ok now. You shouldn't sell yourself short either, I'd say your getting really good at this parenting thing." Gohan replies with a teasing smile.

Tony smirks "Just ok, and really good huh? I'll have to hit the books so I can get better marks in the future."

Gohan laughs again as Tony stands up.

"Oh, you think that's funny do ya?" Tony asks as he crouches down in front of Gohan, hooks his arms under his knees and hefts him up onto his back.

Surprised at the sudden motion, Gohan nearly falls backward, but manages to wrap his arms around Tony's neck and pull himself up before falling all the way "Hey! A little warning next time?"

Tony laughs as he adjusts his hold, then starts heading out of the lab "Sorry 'bout that. You see, this is why I need to hit the books more often."

Gohan chuckles again "I guess so. I almost had to deduct some points from your score for that."

They both laugh again as Tony heads to the boys' room with Gohan on his back.

When they get there, Tony drops Gohan on the bed, causing him to bounce a bit.

"Heheh, thanks for the lift."

"Sure thing squirt. Do you need a glass of water or anything before you try to sleep again?"

Gohan shakes his head "Nah, I'm good. Thanks dad."

Tony ruffles Gohan's hair "No problem kiddo. But if you have another nightmare, you can come talk to me or Pepper no matter what time it is, ok?"

Gohan nods his agreement then gets under his covers, feeling a lot lighter than he did before he went to sleep earlier. He closes his eyes almost certain that he won't have another nightmare this time.

Tony closes the door behind him and heads back to his own bedroom. He's really surprised at himself, not sure where that all came from, but is relieved it seemed to help Gohan.

As he's laying back down, about to fall asleep, he hears JARVIS say "I'd say you got a perfect score sir."

"Thanks J." Tony replies as he falls asleep.

**Later that Morning:**

"Tony, Tony wake up."

"Mmm?" Tony grumbles as he opens his eyes and sees Pepper, completely made up and in her work clothes "Pep? What time is it?"

"7:00 am. Sorry, they need me to come in. So you'll need to get the boys up and make breakfast."

"Ugh, alright Pep." Tony answers as he gets out of bed to clean up and get dressed. Afterwards he says his see ya laters to Pepper, then heads to the boys' room.

Tony smiles as he sees Goten standing in his crib with the hood of the bear onesie still up.

"Morning Monkey." Tony quietly greets Goten while he pulls him out of the crib, hoping not to wake up Gohan, wanting to let the older boy sleep in a bit.

"No Dada. Rawr." Goten replies.

Tony makes shushing gesture "Shhh, we don't wanna wake up your brother yet."

Goten looks over at Gohan, then turns back to Tony and in quieter tone, replies "Rawr."

Tony can't suppress a chuckle, but manages to keep it quiet "That's good teddy bear. Now how about we get you changed? I miss my monkey."

Goten nods with a big smile.

Tony gets Goten changed, makes enough breakfast for both boys and himself, gets himself and Goten fed, puts Gohan's breakfast in the fridge to heat up when he wakes him up, then sits down in the 'Family Room' to put on a movie to keep Goten entertained while he does some work on his stark tablet.

After about half an hour, Tony checks the time "8:30. You think I should give your brother another half hour before I wake him up monkey?" 

Goten turns to Tony, holding a finger to his mouth "Shh Dada. Tee-Vee"

Tony can't help but laugh out loud "Well sorry little sassy pants. I'll just give him another half hour. You can go back to your cartoons monkey."

"Actually sir, you may want to wake young sir Gohan now." JARVIS suggests. 

"Why? What's up J?"

"Doctor Banner has been spotted, I have a location sir."

"Well shit."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was intending to introduce Bruce in this chapter, but Gohan's nightmare and his and Tony's dad-son moment went on longer than I expected it to.


	13. Recruitment part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really sorry for taking so long, I had severe writer's block for a while. I'll do my best to have future chapters out on a better schedule.

Chapter 13

* * *

"Gohan, it's time to get up buddy."

Gohan slowly opens his eyes and sees Tony standing over him with a grumpy looking Goten in his arms.

"Dad, what's up?" Gohan asks as he sits up and rubs the sleep out of his eyes.

"JARVIS found Banner. We need to head out ASAP if we're gonna catch up to him before Ross does." Tony explains.

Gohan fully wakes up at that news "Alright, where are we heading?"

"Culver University, Virginia. We're gonna need to fly, so time to suit up little man."

"You got it, but what about Goten?" Gohan asks as he gets out of bed.

"Pepper's at work, Rhodey's not even in the country, and there isn't time to drop him off with a sitter, i.e Happy." Tony lists off the options while he and Gohan head to the lab.

"We're taking him with us? Isn't that a little risky?" Gohan asks, worried about the possibilities for 'if', actually more than likely 'when', things go south.

"We either bring him with us, or let Dum-E watch him." Tony informs.

The mention of the bot's name puts a smile back on Goten's face "Dum-Eee?"

Tony and Gohan exchange looks and in unison agree "No way."

"Coming with us it is." Tony concludes.

Goten's smile falls back off "Mean Dada."

"Responsible Dada is more accurate my sassy monkey." Tony replies as they enter the lab.

Goten glares at Tony then starts reaching for Gohan "Bubba."

"I've never seen Goten so grumpy before, did you have to cut his nap short?" Gohan asks as he takes Goten from Tony and places him on the floor nearby, then gets dressed in the green gi he wore when he went to help Tony with the Ten Rings.

"I had to cut his cartoons short." Tony answers while the updated Mark 2 armor assembles around him.

"Mean." Goten chirps.

Gohan chuckles at Goten's moodiness, then scoops him up with one arm while packing some spare clothes and other supplies he and Tony had prepared into capsules and pockets them "How are we transporting Goten? Should I just put him in an energy bubble, or do you have something else in mind?"

The face plate of the armor slides up, revealing the smirk on Tony's face.

"I'm glad you asked." He replies as he motions for JARVIS to bring something over.

While the robotic arms that put the armor on Tony bring something over to him, he moves to a table and grabs something else "In preparation for the occasion we would have to bring Goten with us on a 'job', I made what I like to call the 'Iron Baby Sling'."

Gohan sees what looks like a booster seat with a color scheme similar to the Ironman armor.

"I can tell your going to need a demonstration." Tony says, seeing the confused expression on Gohan's face.

Before Gohan can respond Tony walks over to him "If you would please hand me the precious cargo."

Gohan smirks and hands Goten over to Tony, much to the infant's displeasure "Nooo."

Tony chuckles "Aww come on monkey. I'm sorry about turning off your cartoons, but it's for a good cause. We're gonna go meet a new friend."

Tony places Goten in the seat and buckles him in while the baby's scowl fades into a curious stare "Ok boys, prepare to be amazed."

Gohan watches in surprise as the seat transforms into a shell, completely surrounding Goten.

"Woah." 

"Woah indeed my boy." Tony boasts as he tosses something to Gohan.

Gohan reflexively catches it, then looks at the object "My visor glasses."

"Yep, I gave them an upgrade. Put 'em on and see for yourself."

Gohan puts the glasses on and pushes the button on the top right as usual, but instead of just changing into the regular visor that circles around his head covering his eyes and ears, it also forms a mask covering all of Gohan's face under the visor. (Like the Winter Soldier's mask except with a visor covering the eyes instead of goggles)

Gohan goes to check out his reflection.

"Wow, this is awsome." Gohan says, noticing his voice is slightly different, the same way Tony's is when he's wearing the armor with the face plate down.

"Yeah, I thought you'd like that. I figured an update was in order. Even though Fury, Agent, and some other Shield people will know it's you under there, others won't until you decide to let them know. I changed the color to pure black to go with the getup you prefer to wear during these kinds of 'outings', and it also has a few new features." Tony explains as the face plate of the armor slides back down.

Gohan turns to look at Tony "What kind of features?"

"Bubba!" Gohan jumps a bit, hearing Goten's voice right in his ear.

A screen pops up in Gohan's sight and he sees Goten smiling and waving at him. 

"I set it up so that JARVIS can connect the suit, your visor, and the sling to one another whenever we ask." Gohan hears Tony explain, then sees his face pop up on a second screen in his sight.

"Dada!" Goten happily greets, the boy apparently no longer holding a grudge, and being in a much better mood than before.

"He's also constantly keeping an eye on and entertaining the little monkey while he's in there."

Hearing one of Goten's favorite cartoons in the background, Gohan quips "That explains the improved mood."

"Yeah, don't want him to be bored in there, anything to delay the uprising he and Dum-E are no doubt plotting in secret." Tony responds at a conspiratorial whisper.

Gohan laughs at Tony's response as JARVIS opens up the wall so they can head out.

Tony picks up the sling and hands it to Gohan "Here, hold it to your chest."

Gohan complies, and two rectangular metal straps, one on each side of him go around his torso and connect at his back.

"Good, now lift your arms up." Tony instructs.

Gohan lifts his arms and the strap moves the sling to Gohan's back.

"Cool."

"You got that right. It's set up so that whatever way the wearer has to maneuver, JARVIS will move it around to not be in the way, and the gyroscope will keep the little guy right side up at all times, he'll barely even notice any shifting that happens, plus it's soundproofed so he won't hear anything from the outside." Tony boasts.

"That's amazing." Gohan says, impressed by Tony's creativity and ingenuity.

"Of course, could you expect anything less from yours truly?" Tony asks in a cocky tone.

"Good point." Gohan laughs again.

Tony chuckles a bit before getting back to buissnes "Are you ready to go?"

Gohan nods and they both walk towards the exit, ready to head out.

"Let's fly." Tony quips.

"Right." Gohan answers as they blast off.

As they get closer to their destination, JARVIS informs "Sir, young sir, Ross and his subordinates have found and surrounded Dr. Banner. He's transformed and currently fighting them."

Tony curses and Gohan extends his senses to see if he can hone in on Banner while in his monster form. He finds a fairly powerful energy signature fighting a bunch of average human ones.

Gohan powers up to Super Saiyan and tells Tony "I've got a lock on them. We're going to need to speed up before someone gets seriously hurt."

"Alright, let's get going." Tony answers.

"Hold on to the sling and I'll gets us there as fast as I can."

Tony grabs the sling with both hands and has JARVIS magnetically lock them in place, then gives Gohan the go ahead to go full throttle.

Gohan ups his speed to near maximum, holding back a bit just in case Tony's armor and the sling can't endure it.

They arrive outside the campus building just in time to see all the army vehicles destroyed and all of the men keeping a distance away from the huge, green figure, excecpt one man who is standing directly in front of the altered form of Dr. Banner, seemingly taunting him.

"What is that idiot doing? He's going to get himself killed!" Tony says as he's detaching his hands from the sling.

As if to prove Tony right, the transformed Banner kicks the man, sending him flying through the battle-torn field.

Gohan flash steps and catches the now unconscious man before he can crash into anything.

"This man needs immediate medical attention! Someone hurry and get him to a hospital!" Gohan shouts at the soldiers around him.

Tony lands next to Gohan and says "You heard him. Someone come get this guy some help or he's gonna die."

A couple of soldiers finally come over to them and take the severely injured man from Gohan at the same time another man approaches them.

"Blonsky, you idiot. What the hell were you thinking?" The newcomer mutters as the other soldiers evacuate the injured man now identified as 'Blonsky'.

He then turns to Tony and Gohan "Stark. What the hell are you doing here? And who the hell is this blond kid?"

"Skipping the pleasantries I see." Tony quips, then shrugs as much as the armor allows "Well General Ross, me and my young associate here are on a little errand for a mutual acquaintance. You might know him, his name is Nick Fury."

Ross' eyes widen a bit, obviously recognizing the name "What does he want?"

Before Tony can explain any further, he and Gohan notice a woman walking towards the green giant.

"Well before I get into that, my companion and I need to go stop that woman from getting any closer to Banner, and clean up the mess you made." Tony quickly digs, then he and Gohan jump into action.

Ross turns to look where they went and sees his daughter is the one getting dangerously close to Banner "Betty!!"

Tony and Gohan swiftly close the distance between themselves and the woman moving toward the obviously still pissed off form of Banner.

Tony places a hand on her shoulder to stop her advance "Sorry miss, but it'll probably be better if you go back over to 'General Grumpy'. We can take care of this."

The woman jumps at the contact, too distracted to notice anyone coming near her, but immediately responds "Please don't hurt him!? My dad and his men attacked him first! Bruce wouldn't have changed otherwise. He doesn't want to hurt anyone!"

"Woah, woah, easy. We're not here to hurt him. We're actually here to help him." Tony explains.

"Really?" She asks.

"Yes, really. What's your name miss?" Tony asks in response.

"B-Betty, Betty Ross." 

"Your Ross' daughter!?"

"Yes, but I'm not on his side about this. Please, Bruce is very important to me. I just want to help him." Betty begs as she tries head toward Bruce again.

Gohan moves in front of her and reassures "Don't worry Ms. Ross. We're on the same side here." Then looks to Tony "Can you take the sling while I go try to talk Dr. Banner down?" 

"Sure thing kid."

Tony removes the sling from Gohan, attaches it to the armor, and goes back to Betty's side, trusting Gohan has a plan.

Gohan turns around, about to head out when Betty asks him "Young man, who are you?"

Gohan looks back at her "Uhh...good question, haven't thought up a codename for myself yet. I'll have to get back to you on that." Then starts calmly walking towards Banner.

"It'll be alright, he knows what he's doing." Tony assures Betty as he watches Gohan go.

As Gohan gets closer to the hulking figure he says "Dr. Banner, I'm not here to fight you. My friend back there and I are only here to talk to you."

He gets a growl and glare in response.

"I understand why you would be hesitant to trust anyone, but I promise I'm telling the truth. Just calm down and we can talk this through." 

Before Gohan can get another reply, an attack helicopter closes in on them.

Ross commands the pilot to attack and multiple missiles are fired in Gohan and Banner's direction.

Gohan flash steps in between the missiles and Banner then puts an energy barrier over him, Tony, and Betty. After that he launches a few ki blast to destroy the projectiles midair.

As the smoke is clearing, Tony, knowing Gohan is ok, but still pissed that they would fire missiles at his kid, yells at the General "Hey Ross! Call off your chopper before you make this worse!"

Completely ignoring Tony, Ross orders the pilot to keep firing.

"Shit, he's not gonna listen. JARVIS, patch me through to the kid." 

Gohan hears Tony's voice in his ear "Kid, Ross isn't gonna give the ceasefire, I'm gonna stop the copter myself. Can you make sure Banner doesn't go anywhere?"

Gohan nods as he answers "You got it."

Tony turns to Betty "Your dad really isn't making this easy, so we might have to get a little rough with Banner if he freaks out, but we're not gonna hurt him, ok?"

Betty thinks for a moment and decides "Alright, I'm gonna hold you to that Mr. Stark." Figuring that it's either their way or her dad's

Tony does a mock salute "Scouts honor." Then takes off to stop the helicopter.

"JARVIS, think you can jack the chopper, disengage it's weapons, and force it to land?" Tony asks.

"Already on it sir." JARVIS answers.

Tony smirks, watching the helicopter come to a stop and begin to land "What would I do without you buddy?"

"Possibly perish from a plethora of different forms of self-negligence." JARVIS replies in a deadpan tone.

"Rhetorical question J." Tony retorts, as he lands and walks over to the helicopter, then opens the pilot side door, and tells the pilot "You may as well go rendezvous with the rest of Ross' men. This bird is grounded until further notice." 

The pilot sighs in defeat, gets out of the aircraft, and starts trekking towards the rest of the soldiers.

Tony takes off to make sure Ross or anyone else doesn't interfere with Gohan while he tries to calm Banner down.

**Back with Gohan:**

After destroying the missiles and leaving Tony to deal with the helicopter, Gohan gets rid of the barrier and descends back down next to their potential new team member.

"Dr. Banner, do you believe I'm on your side now?" He asks the giant. 

Before he can get an answer, Ross shouts at his soldiers "What are you idiots doing!? Take him down!" As he's drawing his own weapon and taking aim at Banner.

This sets the monster off, he roars at Ross and charges him.

"Dr. Banner, stop!" Gohan pleads while giving chase.

At the start of the gunfire, Betty quickly drops to the ground in an attempt to take cover, but tries to reason with her father "Dad, enough is enough! This won't solve anything!"

Gohan hears Tony's voice "I'll handle Ross and his flunkies, you stop Banner before someone gets hurt." Then sees him fly overhead and begin blasting the guns out of all the soldiers hands, making sure only to disarm them.

"I'm on it!" Gohan answers.

He flash steps ahead of Banner, but the giant is so lost to rage he throws a punch at the boy.

Gohan catches his fist with one hand, stopping him in his tracks "That's enough Dr. Banner. I know he provoked this fight, but you need to calm down or I'll have to stop you by force."

Banner blinks in surprise, but ignores the warning, pulls his fist back, and throws another punch.

Again Gohan catches it with just one hand, not even being pushed back "Last warning."

Everyone except Tony, pause in shock at the raging behemoth being held back so easily.

Still not backing down, Banner clasps both his hands together over his head and slams them down on the boy.

Gohan just raises his hand once more and stops the attack, the ground under him caving in from the pressure, but it's still not enough to budge Gohan an inch.

Now that no one is firing anymore, Tony goes back over to Betty to help her up since she's so stunned by what's happening, she's still laying on the ground "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." She distractedly answers as Tony helps her to her feet, not able to take her eyes off the blond boy's show of strength.

Deciding that Banner is too far gone in his rage to listen to reason, Gohan drives a quick punch to his gut before he can go for another strike, Then flash steps behind him and gives him a chop to the back of the neck sending him face down into the ground, out cold.

Everyone but Tony just stand in place and stare in disbelief at this small boy who with just one hand, blocked three attacks from Banner's monster form, then effortlessly delivered two swift blows that completely overwhelmed and knocked out the beast that just brushed off a full scale military assault like it was nothing.

Banner's body starts reverting back to normal as everyone watches on.

"I'm sorry Dr. Banner, I didn't have any other option." Gohan says as the transformation ends.

Snapping out of her shock induced daze, Betty runs toward Bruce's unconscious form.

Tony follows her and helps flip Bruce face up "See? He's alright, just needs to sleep it off... and some clothes."

"I'm sorry, I wouldn't have done it if there were any other way, but I promise he'll be ok." Gohan tells her.

Betty shakes her head and smiles at them "You don't need to apologize."

As Tony moves one of Banner's arms over his shoulders and hefts him up, Ross advances toward them "Stark! What the hell is this kid!? How did he do that!? 

Not even looking at him Tony answers "Couldn't tell ya. Push ups, sit ups, lots of juice?"

"Don't give me that shit!" Ross yells.

"Hey, watch it General, there is a child present. Besides, I'm a little too busy at the moment to explain everything." Then Tony turns to look at Ross "But If your really curious, you can try talking to Fury, see what you get outta him."

"Fuck you Stark! Just hand over Banner and get out of here or else!" Ross demands.

That last bit pushing Gohan's tolerance past the limit, he gets in between Ross and Tony, let's off a little power, and asks the former "Or else what? Dr. Banner's other form completely decimated your forces without even breaking a sweat, and you saw how easily I dispatched him. What do you think you could possibly do against us?"

Ross steps back, unable to muster a response. 

"Exactly. We are not your enemies, and you definitely don't want us to be. Stand down and give up on this obsession you have with Dr. Banner, he's under our protection now. Just go do your job General, and we'll do ours." Gohan says in a chilling tone.

Ross steps back again, a bead of sweat slides down the side of his face and he shudders. He turns to his daughter "C-c'mon B-Betty, I'm taking you home."

"No! I'm staying with Bruce." Betty replies.

Anger flashes across Ross' face, he steps toward Betty, but before he can do or say anything, Gohan says "It sounds like she's made her choice, I suggest you accept that and get going, before I lose my patience."

Ross freezes and looks back at Gohan. After a few moments of silence, he nods, turns around and walks away.

When the general is out of earshot, Tony places his free hand on Gohan's head and ruffles his hair "Nice job telling him what's what kiddo, I wish I'd had a mic for you to drop." Then, seemingly just remembering that Betty is still right there with them, he turns to her "Uh..no offense."

She let's out a light laugh "None taken, someone needed to take my dad down a few pegs."

"True, but I probably could of done a better job keeping my cool, sorry about that." Gohan says.

Betty smiles at Gohan "Don't be, the only thing that seems to get through to my dad is force. Honestly, I don't think he would of backed down if you'd tried a gentler approach."

Gohan nods, then asks Tony "So what do we do now that we've found Dr. Banner?"

"Well we can't exactly talk to him while he's out cold. So I guess our next move would be to get him somewhere he can rest, and wait for him to wake up."

"Oh, you can bring him to my house." Betty offers.

Tony and Gohan both turn to her and Tony asks "Are you sure?"

"Of course, I want to help Bruce any way I can."

"Alright then." Tony accepts "Lead the way."

They all walk to where Betty parked, Tony lays Bruce down in her backseat, then he and Gohan follow her by air to her home.

When they arrive Tony gets Bruce out and Betty shows him to her bedroom. He lays him down on her bed and Betty covers him up, then they move to her living room to wait for Bruce to wake up.

Tony takes off the helmet of the armor, removes the sling and opens it to check on Goten.

"How are you holding up monkey?" 

Goten just giggles and reaches for Tony "Dada."

Tony chuckles, undoes the straps, and picks him up.

Betty gasps "Oh my gosh, I heard you'd adopted two boys, He's so adorable."

Tony walks over to her to give her a closer look "Yeah, this is my little guy Goten, there wasn't time to leave him with anyone, had no choice but to bring him along." He holds him out to her "Do you wanna hold him?"

Betty nods and Tony hands him to her "Goten, this is Betty, say hi."

Goten looks at her, stares for a moment, then waves to her "Hi."

She laughs "Well hello to you too." Then she turns back to Tony "Is your oldest at school or something?"

"Actually..." Tony begins to say then looks back at Gohan.

He nods at Tony, powers down to his normal form, pushes the button to change his mask back into glasses, and takes them off "Hello, I'm Gohan. Nice to officially meet you."

In shock, Betty gasps again and almost drops Goten, then looks back at Tony with an accusing stare "You let your son fight? How did he knock out Bruce while he was transformed? Was it some special tech of yours?"

"It's a long story. As long as you promise to keep it a secret, we can explain it to you and Dr. Banner after we talk to him." Tony proposes. 

"I guess after what you did for Bruce, keeping a secret for you is the least I can do, but what is it that you want with him in the first place?" Betty asks.

Tony answers "We've come to make him an offer."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure if a helicopter can even be hacked into and controlled by someone, but for the sake of convenience I'll say it can.


	14. Recruitment part 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, I'm sorry for taking so long. I was sick for a while, i usually am a lot this time of year. After the holidays I'm going to try to get more than just one chapter out a month, so please bear with me.

Chapter 14

* * *

After that breif and cryptic explanation about their purpose in seeking out Dr. Banner, Tony, Gohan, and Betty spend the next couple of hours chatting and entertaining Goten while waiting for Bruce to wake up.

Tony has the suit in the corner of the room on standby while he and Betty are sitting on opposite ends of her couch with Gohan and Goten sat on the floor in front of them.

Gohan is keeping Goten distracted by creating a few small ki spheres and having them float around his brother, just outside the infant's reach while listening to Tony and Betty talk about various science stuff and chiming in a few times with his own thoughts.

"Did you teach him all this stuff?" Betty asks Tony, surprised at the high intelligence this young boy was showing.

Tony smirks and shakes his head "Nope, I can't take any credit. He was already a genius when I met him."

Gohan blushes a bit and scratches the back of his head, a little embarrassed at the praise "I wouldn't call myself a genius, I've just studied a lot."

Tony places a hand on top of Gohan's head and ruffles his hair "Hate to break it to you kiddo, but your certifiably brilliant. Don't be afraid to let other people know it."

Gohan chuckles as he fixes his hair, then smiles up at Tony "Alright, I'll try." 

The momentary distraction makes Gohan lose focus, causing the ki spheres occupying Goten to dissappear.

"Bubba!" The boy calls while patting at his brother's chest to get his attention.

Gohan looks down at Goten and quickly realizes what he's trying to tell him "Oh. Sorry about that buddy."

When he creates a couple more small ki spheres for Goten's amusement, Betty decides to ask him "What is that your doing? How are you making those little balls of light?"

Remembering Goten's moodiness at Tony for cutting his toons short this morning, Gohan makes sure to keep said 'balls of light' from dissipating this time lest he earn the scorn of his baby brother while he turns to Betty and answers "I'm harnessing my internal energy, or what we call 'ki', and drawing it out, shaping it for whatever purpose I need it for."

"In this case, being a substitute for toys or cartoons to keep a certain little monkey's attention." Tony adds.

Gohan smirks in amusement at Tony's quip as Betty continues her line of questioning "How did you learn to do that? Was it the byproduct of some experiment, like what happened to Bruce?" Then she glares accusingly at Tony.

Having a good idea where she's about go with her questions, Tony raises both hands in surrender "Whoa there Ms. Ross. I can tell what your thinking, and I assure you, these abilities my boy's got are naturally occurring phenomena. Though honestly I'm a little offended you would think I'd actually experiment on a person, let alone a kid, especially one of my kids."

Gohan's smile gets a tad bigger at Tony referring to him and Goten as his kids, but quickly explains to Betty "It's true. Ki manipulation is something anyone can learn. It was taught to me by a friend when I was little."

At both of their assurances, Betty relents "I'm sorry Mr. Stark. I can tell your a decent man that wouldn't do something like that, but it's easier to believe otherwise instead of-"

Tony interrupts "Trust me, I get it. It was a lot for me to process too." 

Betty sighs "Are there any other surprises you've got in store for me?"

Tony and Gohan exchange glances, and at the same time, Goten stops watching and reaching for the ki spheres and looks toward where they'd left Dr. Banner to rest. The baby then starts attempting to head in that direction.

Feeling the shifting in his lap, Gohan looks down and sees his brother trying to wander off.

He picks the squirming infant up "Goten, what's up?"

Goten points at the direction he was trying to go "Bubba..uh!..uh!"

Having a good idea what's going on, Gohan extends his senses and feels Dr. Banner beginning to move.

He stands, shifts Goten to one arm, and turns to Tony and Betty "I think Dr. Banner is starting to wake up."

Betty blinks "How?-"

Tony stands as well "Sorry to interrupt you again Ms. Ross, but to answer your last question and the one you were about to ask..Yes. There are several more surprises in store if you want to learn more about my boys' 'special' traits, and one of them will explain why he knows that."

Betty sits motionless and silent for a moment, then Tony places a hand on her shoulder "Shall we go welcome Dr. Banner back to the waking world?"

Remembering Bruce, and wanting to make sure she's there to help calm him when he wakes, she puts all the questions she has for Tony about his boys in the back of her mind and stands "Yeah."

She leads them back to her room, and when they get just outside the door, Tony and Gohan stop.

Betty looks at them with a questioning stare.

"It's for the best if your the first one he sees when he wakes up." Gohan explains.

"Plus you two can have a moment alone together, That'll certainly help him keep a cool head." Tony adds with a suggestive wink.

Betty's face turns a little red, she glares at Tony, then quickly opens the door and closes it behind her.

"Dad." Gohan scolds.

"What?" Tony laughs "If she was trying to hide it, she wasn't doing a good job."

Gohan raises an eyebrow and retorts "You and Mom aren't that subtle yourselves you know."

Tony stutters for a second, then gives Gohan a proud smirk "Touche kid, looks like all the constant bantering at home is starting to rub off on you."

Gohan chuckles "With You, Mom, Rhodey, Happy, and JARVIS, I've got plenty of teachers."

On the other side of the door, Betty moves to sit next to Bruce as he starts to stir.

His eyes snap open and he shoots upward into a sitting position, frantically checking his surroundings.

"Bruce." Betty quietly calls.

"Betty." Bruce turns to her and sighs in relief "Thank God. Are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. What about you?" 

Bruce gives her a tired smile "No more worse for wear than usual." Then he looks down at his bare torso and worn pants "Though I guess I'm gonna need a new outfit...again."

Betty let's out a small laugh "I'm sure we can arrange that."

Bruce grins at her, but then remembers what happened before he changed, so he asks "What happened with your dad and the rest of those military guys? How did we end up back at your place?"

"What all do you remember?" Betty asks in response.

Bruce tries to think back, but only gets bits and pieces. "Not much, I'm not sure if what I can recall was even real or just a weird dream."

Betty laughs again "In that case, you might remember more than you think."

"What do you mean?"

Betty stands and heads to the door.

She opens it and calls out "You can come in now."

Bruce staggers to a standing position, moves one hand to hold on to the waistband of his pants to keep them from falling and quickly wraps the nearby blanket around himself to try and preserve his modesty a bit.

Still recovering from the transformation, he waits to see who Betty brought, never expecting it to be the famous Tony Stark, and if his memory served, the two young boys he'd heard about being adopted by the man.

Tony nonchalantly walks over to Bruce and raises a hand in greeting "It's good to meet you, Dr. Banner. Your work on anti-electron collisions is unparalleled. And I'm a huge fan of the way you lose control and turn into an enormous green rage monster."

Bruce is a little stunned by the casualness of the other man, but frees up a hand and accepts the handshake "Uh..thanks."

Tony gestures to the boy with the baby held in his arm next to him "While I'm sure I need no introduction, you might not have heard about it, given the predicament you've been in for the last little while, but these two are my boys I took in at the end of last year."

Gohan offers his free hand to Bruce "It's nice to officially meet you, Dr. Banner, I'm Gohan. I admire your work too, it's very enticing."

Surprised at the gesture and talk of his work from one so young, Bruce accepts the handshake "Nice to meet you, though aren't you a little young to be studying the kind of science I work in?"

Gohan scratches the back of his head, and Tony answers "He may only be 12, but he's easily on our level, if not above it."

Gohan blushes at the praise, but doesn't try to dispute it this time.

"Unh!..ah!" The baby barks out, reaching one arm out to Bruce.

Everyone looks at him and Tony asks "What's up monkey? Need something?"

Gohan thinks about it for a moment, then starts laughing when he's sure he's got it figured out "I think he wants a handshake too."

Goten nods "Unh!"

Tony, and Betty laugh, and Bruce cracks a smile. He offers his hand again, and when the boy wraps his hand around a couple of his fingers he shakes them up and down a bit, while Gohan introduces them "Dr. Banner, meet my little brother Goten. Goten, say hi to Dr. Banner."

Goten gets a serious look on his face for a few moments, then giggles and says "Hi!"

Bruce laughs "Well hello yourself. He's pretty advanced for his age, how old is he? 18 months, 2 years?

"Actually, he'll just be turning 1 on October 31st." Gohan replies.

Bruce's eyes widen a bit "Seriously?"

Gohan nods in confirmation "My biological family's genes are responsible for the quick growth and the developmental advancement."

Bruce raises a questioning brow at Gohan's explanation.

Getting back on track, Tony says "Dr. Banner, while you were resting, Ms. Ross explained your situation and how your trying to cure yourself."

Bruce turns to Tony ".....Yes..I found someone who might have a solution, but he needed more data from the experiment that caused my 'affliction'. I came here to get it, but General Ross found me here and brought a small battalion with him to attack me."

Tony nods "Yeah we arrived at the end of that exchange."

Bruce goes pale in the face, turns to Betty and asks "What happened with your dad and the others? I....I didn't kill anyone...did I?"

Betty gives Bruce a reassuring smile "Don't worry Bruce, Mr. Stark got my dad to call off his men and back down, and Gohan stopped your other form before anyone got hurt."

Bruce looks back at Tony and Gohan "How could a kid do anything to the other guy?" Then Bruce glares at Tony "And how could you let one of your children near that monster!?"

"Easy, easy, under normal circumstances you'd be right to be worried, but my boys are a special case." Tony quickly explains.

"What do you mean?" Bruce asks.

"Well I can show you in the other room Dr. Banner." Tony offers.

Since Betty seems to trust the man, and he and this boy had apparently helped her and himself out of a rough situation, he decides to let down his walls a bit "Bruce...you can call me Bruce Mr. Stark."

Tony smiles "Tony then."

"Well if we're all gonna be on a first name basis, then no more of that Ms. Ross stuff." Betty adds in a teasing tone, hoping to lighten the mood.

"Fair enough. Bruce, if you'll follow us, I can loan you some clothes, explain some things about my kids, and why we're here to speak with you." Tony offers.

Bruce looks down at himself and remembers his current 'outfit', then contemplates for a few moments and decides "I'll take you up on that Tony."

Tony turns to Gohan "Kiddo, you brought some spare clothes for all of us, didn't you?"

Gohan nods and pulls the capsules out of his pocket "Yep, got them right here."

"Good, get whatever of my stuff you packed and lend it to Bruce, We look to have pretty similar builds, so they should fit."

Gohan pushes the button on the top of a capsule, and lightly tosses it in the air.

It pops into a burst of smoke, and from it falls one of Tony's band shirts, a pair of boxers, jeans, socks, and shoes.

Gohan catches it all with his free arm, and offers them to Bruce "Here you go Dr. Banner."

Bruce and Betty are staring in shock, both wondering how that capsule works.

"Um...Dr. Banner?" Gohan calls.

The couple snap out of their stunned silence, and Bruce takes the clothes from Gohan "Thanks."

Tony can't keep the amusement out of his tone when he says "I can see all the burning questions you two have about that little tech marvel. All will be explained, I promise."

Tony, Gohan, and Betty leave the room to let Bruce change.

He does so quickly, and rushes to follow them.

When he catches up, he's surprised to see the Ironman armor he'd seen in the news standing in the corner.

"Glad to see it fit well." Bruce hears Tony say.

He turns to him "Are you sure it wasn't that that you used to subdue the other guy? I mean that's still not too believable...but easier than your 12 year old son taking him down."

Before Tony can answer, a voice comes from the suit "Actually Dr. Banner, I recorded everything from today's earlier fight, if you'd like to see for yourself?"

Bruce jumps in shock and Tony says "Bruce, meet my A.I JARVIS. JARVIS, say hello to Bruce."

"Greetings Dr. Banner."

"Uh..Hello." Bruce replies then turns to Tony "Do you have any more surprises in store? Because I should tell you, they're not very good for helping me keep the other guy suppressed."

Tony laughs "Don't worry, I'll do my best to let you know about all future potential shocks."

"Good. I'd like to see that footage if you don't mind?"

"No problem. J, put it on the t.v."

JARVIS does so, and everyone spends the next while in silence as Bruce processes everything he's witnessing. 

After the recording ends, Gohan and Tony explain about ki and it's benefits, like the overwhelming strength that allowed the boy to so effortlessly take down who Bruce refers to as 'the other guy', both silently agreeing to leave the rest of Gohan's story untold for now, wanting to focus on their reason for seeking Bruce out.

After that explanation, Tony tells Bruce and Betty about the Avengers Initiative and the offer Nick Fury asked him to make in his place.

"I'm sorry Tony, but like I told you, I'm trying to cure myself of this. I'm not looking to become a living weapon." 

"I understand. I only told Fury I would make the offer, I'm not gonna try and convince you to do something you dont want to. Honestly I just used it as an excuse to meet you." Tony replies.

"So you won't interfere with me trying to cure this?"

Tony shakes his head "Of course not. If anything I'd like to help."

"Really?"

"Yeah, while I think what happened to you happened for a reason, it isn't for me to decide what you do with it. But if it doesn't pan out, the offer will still stand. And I'll help keep General Ross off your tail."

"I agree." Gohan says "I'd like to help anyway I can too, and if worse comes to worse, I'm pretty sure I can teach you how to control it so it can't take you over against your will."

"You think that's possible?" Betty asks.

Gohan nods "Definitely, I'm probably not the best teacher when it comes to stuff like this-" He thinks back to the times he's lost himself to his power "-But I'm positive I can help."

Tony notices the haunted look the kid has and places a hand on Gohan's shoulder, hoping to offer some assurance. Remebering the talk they had about his nightmare last night and having a good idea that's what he's thinking about "So what do you say Bruce? Do you mind if we stick around and help out while you do what you gotta do?"

Bruce considers his options, and after a few minutes thinking over all the possible outcomes, he accepts "Sure, that sounds great."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The main reason I made Goten's birthday on Halloween was because when I looked up his actual birthday, all the wiki said was late 767, and one thing I found said sometime between June-December of 767, so I picked a fun day for a future fluffy chapter i have in mind.  
> My birthday is also on Halloween, so that might also be a factor in this choice :p


	15. Operation De-Hulk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony, Gohan, and Betty help Bruce begin to try and cure himself of the Hulk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter feels a little lackluster to me, sorry in advance, I'll try to improve the quality in future chapters.

Chapter 15

* * *

"Alright, so what's the plan Bruce?" Tony asks as he and Gohan sit down on Betty's couch.

"Well, I need to get the data I retrieved to my contact." Bruce answers.

"I'm guessing you had to stash the drive or chip you saved it on somewhere when you noticed the military on your tail." Tony speculates.

Bruce nods in confirmation.

"Is it back at Culver?" Tony asks.

Bruce's shakes his head and starts to answer "No, I didn't have a lot of time after I saw Ross and his crew surrounding the building. So I....." He leaves unfinished and shifts his gaze to the floor.

"So what did you do?" Tony asks.

"I...I swallowed it."

Gohan is dumbstruck by this, but Tony just shrugs in nonchalance, and with an amused smirk, replies "I guess that means we have to wait until nature takes its course before we go anywhere."

Betty laughs at Tony's brazen comment while Bruce sighs and nods.

Exasperated on Dr. Banner's behalf, Gohan lightly elbows Tony's side "Come on Dad, be serious."

Tony chuckles and raises his hands in surrender "Ok, ok, strictly buissnes." Tony assures Gohan, then turns back to Bruce and asks "Who is your contact? And where are they? While we wait for...you know, I can set up the necessary arrangements to get us where we'll need to go."

"So far all he's gone by is Mr. Blue, and he told me once I got the data to meet him at Empire State University."

"New York huh?" Tony mumbles to himself, then stands up while pulling his phone out of his pocket "That shouldn't take too long to set up."

Before anyone can say anything, Tony dials Pepper's number and presses the call button.

As Tony hears the click confirming she answered, he switches the call to speaker, and instantly regrets doing so when Pepper greets him with  **"TONY! ARE YOU COMPLETELY INSANE!?"**

Everyone else jumps in shock at the volume, but Tony, being used to this, calmly responds "And a good afternoon to you as well Ms. Potts."

**"Don't give me that crap Tony. What were you thinking?"**

Not certain what's got her upset, he replies "What are you referring to Pep?"

**"You know what I'm talking about, it's all over the news."**

Tony raises a brow in confusion, then looks to the suit "JARVIS, can you switch on the news?"

"Of course sir." JARVIS replies, then without prompting, Betty's tv turns back on, showing a still shot of Gohan standing in front of Bruce's other form with a scrolling headline on the bottom of it, **'BLOND BERSERKER BOY' DECIMATES 'HULK'. WHO'S THE REAL MONSTER?**

As the picture shrinks down to a small square on the top right corner of the screen, a news anchor begins talking about the day's earlier battle, speculating about how the poorly named 'Blond Berserker Boy' managed to incapacitate the 'Hulk' so easily when the military couldn't put a scratch on him, why he was with Tony Stark, and if he is a threat to the general public. 

"Shit." Tony says aloud, then turns back to Gohan, and the disheartened look on his boy's face breaks Tony's heart.

Gohan tries to give Tony a reassuring smile, but it doesn't reach his eyes "Well...it may not be what I would have come up with for a codename..but it's a start."

Tony moves to sit back next to Gohan and puts an arm over his shoulders "That's crap, and you know it Gohan."

"But Dad-" Gohan tries to argue, but Tony interrupts "No buts kid. I know when you hear someone else say something negative about you that you've thought yourself, that it makes it feel true. Believe me, I know. But it's not true, they're just coming up with whatever sounds good to get ratings. They don't know the real you, and it's none of their business until if and when you decide to let anyone know who you really are."

While Gohan contemplates what Tony said, Tony turns to meet Bruce's gaze for a moment and gives him a smirk, silently telling him these words aren't only for Gohan.

Noticing the gesture, Bruce smiles back, and while Tony turns back to Gohan, he sees Betty mouth 'Thank you' to him.

Gohan looks back at Tony, but before either can say anything, Goten exclaims "Mama." while trying to pull Tony's phone out of his hand.

Pepper's voice echoes from it **"Goten? Tony, what's going on? Do you have me on speaker?"**   

Tony laughs and plucks his phone out of the infant's hand "Sorry monkey, I'm gonna need to hold on to that."

Goten pouts a bit, but turns to Gohan and seems to notice his brother's mood.

While Goten tries to get Gohan's attention, Tony answers Pepper "Sorry Pep, we just checked out the news and got distracted."

**"I know what you mean. Is Gohan ok?"**

Gohan speaks up to answer "Yeah, I'm ok Mom."

"I explained to him how reporters are full of it, and he shouldn't read too much into anything they say." Tony adds.

Gohan and Pepper both chuckle at Tony's comment and Pepper says **"Well good, you saved me the trouble. I know it's not pleasant to hear them say these things about you Gohan, but Tony's right. They're all just full of it."**

Gohan feels Goten shifting in his lap and looks down to see his brother with a serious expression on his face.

"Bubba no sad." Goten demands.

Gohan's smile becomes more genuine "I'm ok Goten, I promise." He assures, then tells everyone "Now let's get back to the situation at hand."

Tony smiles and ruffles Gohan's hair "You got it squirt." Then he switches his phone off speaker and brings it up to his ear "Now Pep, for the main reason I called. There's been a change of plans."

As Tony explains today's events to Pepper, Bruce moves to sit on the arm of the couch next to Gohan "I never put much stock into what others say about a person, you got to meet them yourself before you form an opinion. But even so, you can't help but make assumptions about public figures from the actions they let others see them do. And I gotta say, with this brief meeting, Tony has proven all the ones I had about him wrong."

Gohan gives Bruce a smile, having a good idea where the man is going with this.

"What I'm trying to say is, as one 'monster' to another, I know it hurts being labeled like this, but the only opinions you should really take to heart are those of the people who know the real you." 

Gohan is grateful for the words of encouragement from Bruce, but worry creeps into his mind that if and when the man learns about his past, he might not feel this way for long "I appreciate that Dr. Banner, though you might agree with those reporters about me once you hear everything about my past."

Bruce blinks in surprise at the boy's reply, and the haunted look that flashes in his eyes for a moment, so he asks "I'm guessing Tony and the woman he's talking to right now know about it?"

Gohan nods "Yeah, they and 3 others know it all."

"Have any of them showed any hint that they think your a monster since you told them?"

Gohan looks down at Goten, who just smiles up at him while he answers "No, everyone has been very kind to me, even after learning it all and seeing my bad side."

Bruce looks back at Betty, the one who's stayed on his side regardless of everything that's happened since the incident, and smiles "If they've stuck by you, then I highly doubt whatever you went through would make me think less of you."

"Thank you Dr. Banner."

"Sure, us 'monsters' gotta stick together, and you can call me Bruce."

Before Gohan can respond, Goten shouts "Bwu!"

They both laugh at the infant's attempt at saying Bruce's name, and Gohan replies "Alright, Bruce it is."

Even though he was still on the phone making the travel arrangements with Pepper, Tony had been watching the exchange between Gohan and Bruce with Betty, and they both couldn't stop themselves from cracking up a bit at Goten's try at pronouncing Bruce's name.

"Well I think we've got everything set up. Right Pep?" Tony asks as he switches the speaker phone back on.

 **"Yeah, I've sent one of Stark Industries' private jets to the airport in Richmond. It's stocked up on supplies you might need and it will take you all directly to New York."**  Pepper explains to everyone.

"From there me and the boys can either come with you when you 2 meet up with this Mr. Blue, or find a hotel for us all to stay at while you work on a cure." Tony adds.

Everyone nods in understanding and Bruce replies "I'm ok with you guys coming to the rendezvous with him."

Tony smirks in response "I was hoping you'd say that."

Pepper speaks back up  **"Well I'm gonna let you guys get ready. I hope this works out for you Dr. Banner."**

"Thank you Ms. Potts, I'm very grateful for all your and Tony's help." Bruce answers.

**"It's no problem Dr. Banner. And Gohan, make sure to keep an eye on Tony for me."**

Gohan laughs while Tony asks "Pep, shouldn't that be the other way around? I mean I'm the parent here, aren't I?"

Without hesitation, Pepper replies  **"Sometimes Tony, you make me wonder about that."**

Tony huffs in mock irritation while Gohan answers "Don't worry Mom, I'll make sure he stays out of trouble."

Bruce, Betty, and Pepper all laugh while Tony tells Gohan "Anymore sass from you young man, and you'll be grounded for a month."

"Yes sir." Gohan replies with a smirk.

 **"I'll see you boys when you get home."** Pepper says, ready to end the call.

"Thanks for the help Pepper-pot." Tony replies before hanging up.

Tony slips his phone in his pocket and sits back down next to Gohan "Whenever you guys are ready, we can head to Richmond. By the time we get there the jet will be waiting and ready to take off."

"Sure, I'll go pack a bag." Betty replies, then heads to her room.

"And I'll try to get a message to Mr. Blue." Bruce says as he gets up and follows Betty.

"Feeling nature's call Bruce?" Tony asks with an amused smirk. 

Bruce stops in his tracks for a moment, but doesn't answer Tony and then continues his exit from the room.

Tony chuckles and Gohan gives him his attempt at a stern glare.

Tony just shrugs in a 'what are you gonna do?' gesture, which gets another laugh out of Gohan.

After another hour of waiting, Betty had a bag packed and Bruce was back with the flash drive in hand.

Tony passes on the chance to poke fun at Bruce about that, and has JARVIS scan the drive to make sure the data wasn't lost.

After confirming it was intact, everyone got ready to head out.

Gohan changes out of his gi and into a pair of blue jeans, a black t-shirt, a white button up over that, and puts the visor glasses back on.

Tony has a vehicle sent to their location, so Betty won't have to leave hers at the airport, straps the sling in the back seat for Goten to ride in, puts the suit in a capsule and pockets it.

They all get in the rental car and begin the drive to the airport.

**Elsewhere:**

"You all healed up yet?" General Ross asks Blonsky as he enters the hospital room.

"Yeah, that watered down super soldier serum is really handy." Blonsky answers while pulling an I.V drip out of his arm.

"Good, are you ready for another shot at Banner?"

"I thought I heard some of the others say that that blond boy got you to back off of him."

"Of course I'm not. My daughter is with Stark and those monsters, I'm not gonna leave her with them." Ross answers.

"Well even if we catch Banner off guard before he can change, how do you plan to deal with that kid that knocked the 'Hulk' on his ass like it was nothing?" Blonsky asks.

"While you were unconscious, I received a package from an anonymous sender, in it was this container with some strange chemical in it and a note that said 'Use this on the 'Blond Berserker Boy' and he'll be as helpless as a normal child.'" Ross replies.

"Do you actually buy that?" 

"I had the chemical analyzed, and it's something my scientists have never seen before, so it could be a legit weapon against the little super freak. It's the only chance I have, so I'll take the risk." Ross explains.

"Any clue who the sender was?" 

"They only referred to themself in the note as 'B'."


	16. Operation De-Hulk part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm gonna start trying to get chapters out a least once every two weeks.

Chapter 16

* * *

Since the trip to the airport would take a little over 6 hours by car, Tony, Bruce, and Betty decided to drive in shifts.

The ride itself was fairly peaceful, especially when compared to everything else that happened earlier in the day, though Bruce and Betty were shocked into silence when during Tony's shift, he stopped by a drive thru and ordered 3 of everything on the menu.

At first they thought he was just joking, but after he paid for the food, making sure to add a generous tip for all the employees in the restaurant, and got all the to-go bags loaded in the car, he explained that the boys' metabolisms required much more food than regular people, even more than Bruce who's own metabolism now needs more food since the accident.

The couple just sat back with their own much smaller servings of food and absent-mindedly ate while being unable to stop themselves from watching in fascination and amazement as Gohan and Goten actually finished everything they were given.

Afterwards, they spent almost all the remaining travel time just chatting about various science stuff, like Tony's arc reactor, the armor, Gohan's visor glasses, the capsules, and the experiment Bruce was doing that caused the Hulk's creation.

Then finally, with JARVIS' guidance, they arrived at the airport.

As the adults get out of the vehicle to stretch a bit after being cooped up for so long before they head to the jet, they notice both boys have fallen asleep.

"Should we wake Gohan up?" Betty asks as she gets her bag out of the trunk.

Tony considers it, but after remembering last night, he figures it's good for the boy to get some extra rest. He shakes his head "Nah, may as well let him sleep. I can carry him to the jet. Bruce, can you get Goten?"

Bruce hesitates for a moment, worried about being trusted with an infant, even if it's just to carry him a small distance, but he nods "Uh..sure, though isn't this seat a little awkward to carry around?"

Tony smirks in amusement as he scoops Gohan into his arms without waking the boy "Don't worry about that, just get the seat out of the car and put it on the ground."

Curious about what Tony has planned, Bruce complies, he gets the seat out and places it on the ground in front of himself "Ok..now what?"

Tony walks over to Bruce's side and says "JARVIS, stroller mode." 

"Right away sir." The A.I's voice answers from the seat, then it slowly starts transforming around Goten.

Without waking the infant, the sling morphed from a booster seat into a functional stroller.

Once again, Bruce and Betty are stunned into silence while Tony starts heading to the jet with the stroller following him all on its own.

When Tony calls out to them, they snap out of it and move to follow him.

Once they all get inside, Tony places Gohan on one of the seats, straps him in and reclines it so the boy can sleep easier, then goes to check the cockpit.

The stroller comes to a stop next to Gohan while Bruce and Betty choose their own seats and strap in.

Tony returns, has JARVIS change the sling back into a booster seat, straps it in the seat next to Gohan, then gets in his own seat across from Bruce and Betty "Ok J, we're ready for take off."

"Yes sir." JARVIS replies, his voice echoing from the aircraft's speakers. 

The jet begins to move, and after a few moments, they're airborne. 

"Is JARVIS piloting?" Bruce asks.

"Pretty much, our destination is preprogrammed, JARVIS is supervising incase something goes wrong with the autopilot." Tony answers.

"Good, since there aren't any of your staff here that could inadvertently eavesdrop, I can ask something I've been wondering for a little bit now." Bruce states.

Tony's expression gets a bit serious "About the boys?" 

Bruce nods "Yeah. I'm guessing that the story about how they came to be staying with you the public was told isn't true?"

"Yep, we couldn't exactly explain the actual turn of events that brought them here. It's too unbelievable." 

"Before we get into that, I wanted to ask....we're they abused?" Bruce asked in a grim tone, as he thought back to the haunted look he saw in Gohan's eyes that he recognized very well.

Tony gets a dark look in his eyes for a moment, then explains "It's complicated....their biological parents didn't abuse them...not intentionally at least, and never physically. But there was definitely neglect on their part, and in Gohan's case specifically...reckless endangerment that you wouldn't believe."

Betty notices Bruce's eyes flash green for a few seconds, she places her hand on his shoulder, hoping to help him calm down.

Since neither of them say anything, Tony continues "By the time they ended up at my place, the worst of it had passed and Goten was only around 7 weeks old. But Gohan...even though you saw a bit of how strong he is....he had to survive against people and real monsters with similar abilities ever since he was 4. He managed to get through it alive...but it definitely took its toll on him."

They all sit in silence for a little while, and Bruce breaks it by asking "How much can you tell us about it?"

Tony contemplates for a minute, then replies "For now I've told you all I can. It's not my story to tell, but I'm sure Gohan will trust you both with it, so you won't be left in the dark. Besides, it'll be better to wait until we get your situation taken care of as much as we can. If he explained it to you now, you'd probably Hulk out at least a dozen times....I definitely wanted to after seeing everything he had to deal with."

"It's that bad?" Betty asks.

"Even worse." Tony answers.

"With all the trauma he has to live with already, do you really think it's good for him to be doing these type of things now?" Bruce asks.

Tony turns his head to look at the sleeping boys "If trauma disqualified one from this, none of us would be up for consideration to be on Fury's super secret boyband. But Pep and I discussed this at length with him after Fury made us the offer, we agreed that it was his decision and we would support him in whatever choice he made...though with a few conditions."

Tony turns back to face Bruce and Betty, and he can't help but crack a smile at their expectant stares, urging him to continue "We made sure he was agreeing to it because of his usual big heart and care for the people, not just because he felt obligated to out of worry for my safety. He's promised to let us know if he gets too overwhelmed and needs a break from it, and we reserve the right to bench him if we feel he's pushing himself. And lastly, he won't be doing any job or mission solo until he's at least 18."

Bruce and Betty both nod in approval and Bruce comments "Pretty good rules...though how is Fury gonna feel about restricted access to the powerhouse kid who was able to take down 'the other guy' like it was nothing?"

Tony smirks and replies "Frankly, I don't care how he feels on the subject, because it's non-negotiable. He may have only invited me to join cuz he figured he wouldn't get access to my boys without doing so, but if he thinks I'll let him manipulate my kids into doing anything, then he's in for a rude awakening."

Betty smiles at how protective the so called 'Merchant of Death' is being of his children while Bruce asks "If you think he could be up to something shady, why go along with this?"

"Well someone me, Pep, and Gohan trust trusts Fury, so I'm inclined to believe he's on the up and up. But if he's not, it's better to be on the inside, easier to get the heads up....plus if it is all legit, I have a lot to make up for...and I think this could be a good way to do that." Tony answers, while losing his smirk.

Noticing the shift in Tony's mood, Betty, hoping to cheer him up, quips "I never expected the 'Tony Stark' to be such a big softie, is it because of the boys? Or were you always hiding it behind the smarm and charm?"

Tony and Bruce blink at that, then Tony chuckles "What can I say? They both wormed their way in pretty fast, so I guess you can blame them for all this emotional honesty pouring out of me."

They all laugh at that, and then they shift the conversation to lighter topics, like other potential activities they could do while in New York after they deal with Bruce's cure, and ideas for Goten's upcoming birthday party that Tony insists on them coming to regardless of how things turn out with the cure, not noticing that Gohan was starting to toss and turn with a pained expression beginning to form on his face.

Gohan finds himself alone in what he thinks is Betty's living room, the t.v is on and playing a loop of the news report about his fight with Hulk.

"What am I doing back here?" He wonders aloud.

A familiar voice calls out "Oh, my dear boy, we're here to talk about you."

Gohan turns to the direction it came from and sees the source "Cell, why are you here?"

The monster laughs "I just told you, we're here to talk."

Gohan glares at Cell and goes Super Saiyan 2 "No more games!"

Cell just chuckles a bit more, then asks "What do you mean? I'm just-"

Gohan interrupts "Save it! I know this is just a dream, and that your just my subconscious, messing with me because this news report stirred up my insecurities!"

"Correct, clever boy as always. But we both know it's not what the cameras captured that's got you feeling like this, but what they didn't."

Gohan eyes widen a bit, but he quickly schools his expression back to a death glare and raises his arm, aiming his hand at Cell in a silent threat of being ready to blast him "Shut up."

Unperturbed by the threat, Cell continues "I mean, if they're calling you a monster for the love tap you gave Banner to put him sleep, imagine what they'd have said if they saw your little outburst with that General."

Gohan notices the t.v is now playing his conversation with Ross and shows the dark look he had when he threatened the man. He turns back to Cell and begins charging an energy blast "I mean it! That's enough!" He shouts, though the tremble in his voice doesn't go unnoticed.

"Oh spare me boy! Even if that worked, it's not gonna change the truth!" Cell shouts back.

Gohan flinches, and lowers his arm back down and shakily asks "What truth?"

"Wake up Gohan! You know full well that ever since I destroyed 16, or rather since you let me destroy him, that you've been steadily becoming more and more like me. So quick to anger and violently lashing out at whoever incurs your wrath, heh and you think that you can help Banner with his rage problems? Talk about the blind leading the blind."

At the mention of 16, tears begin to build up in Gohan's eyes and he starts to doubt himself again, but then he remembers his talk with Tony and the man's words of encouragement and understanding after his last nightmare, which gives him the confidence to declare "No! I'm not gonna listen to you! I know I can help Bruce, and I know I can control myself! Your not gonna get to me, I have people in my corner who believe in me! I'm not gonna let them down!" then he closes his eyes, and covers his ears, hoping he'll wake up soon.

But even with his ears covered, Cell's voice echoes in his head, repeatedly telling him to wake up. But slowly, though the words remain the same, the voice changes from Cell's to Tony's.

Gohan opens his eyes and sees the Ironman armor standing over him "Dad?"

The face plate of the helmet slides up, revealing Tony's slightly panicked face "Kiddo..are you ok?"

Gohan nods "Yeah, I'm ok. Just another nightmare....but why are you suited up?"

Tony let's out a relieved sigh "It must of been a real bad one, cuz you powered up straight to Super Saiyan 2 and your excess energy was starting to mess with the jet, so I was gonna take you outside and try to wake you up before JARVIS lost control of the jet."

Gohan's eyes go wide and he quickly sits up "I'm so sorry! Is everyone ok!?"

Tony moves to show him Bruce and Betty with Goten in the latter's arms on the other side of the aircraft "Everyone's ok. Just a bit of a shock."

Gohan stands up and bows his head "Bruce, Betty, I'm so sorry. This has never happened before, my power has never gone wild like that while i slept."

Betty shakes her head "It's not your fault. Don't worry about it, right Bruce?"

Bruce blinks then nods "Yeah, no damage done."

Gohan flashes them a grateful smile then turns to Tony "Sorry for the scare dad, you too JARVIS."

Tony steps out of the suit, capsules it, steps toward Gohan and puts a hand on his shoulder "Don't sweat it little man, right JARVIS?"

"Absolutely, no need to apologize young sir. But if I may ask that you power down, your Ki discharge is interfering with the autopilot."

Gohan looks at the window and sees from his reflection that he's still in his Super Saiyan 2 form "Oop, sorry."

He powers down back to his base form, which triggers some giggles from Goten.

Everyone looks at the infant and Tony walks up to Betty and plucks Goten out of her arms "And what's so funny monkey?"

"Uh-gain, uh-gain bubba!" The baby demands.

Everyone laughs and get back in their seats "Maybe later monkey, but not now." 

As Goten pouts, Bruce decides to ask "So what's a 'Super Saiyan'?"

Gohan and Tony exchange glances, but before they can say anything, JARVIS speaks up "Apologies for the interruption everyone, but we're about to arrive at our destination."

Gohan looks out a window and is amazed at the sight of New York City, but quickly turns back to everyone and says "I promise you'll get a full explanation, but would you mind waiting until we get our buissnes here settled first?"

Everyone's gaze turn to Bruce "Sure. I don't mind waiting."

Tony and Gohan nod in thanks, and everyone prepares to exit the jet as it lands.

**Elsewhere:**

"It appears Stark and the Saiyan brats have arrived in New York." A small gray figure informs a familiar face.

"Yes, and I just heard from my contact, Ross and his crew aren't far behind them." Stane replies with a grimace.

"I see your frustration my friend, what troubles you?" Baby asks.

"What's the point of this little game of yours?  You know Ross and his henchman are going to fail."

The tuffle nods "Yes, it's more than likely the good general won't succeed in what he wants to achieve while facing off against Stark and the Saiyan boy."

"Well if you want them dead, why not just send me or one of the creatures you've got stored here to do it?" Obidiah asks, gesturing to the containment cells holding other beings.

He pulls his shirt off, revealing gray material similar to Baby's body grafted into his chest where the wound he received from Gohan once was "Thanks to you I now have power like that Saiyan urchin, so I would be a better choice for this job. Besides, once Ross inevitably screws this up he'll spill to Tony how he got the S-Suppressor and put him on the trail to discovering us." 

The tuffle smirks "That's exactly why I'm doing it."

"What do you mean?" Stane asks.

"While it is true you've grown strong, your still not enough to handle the Saiyan. It'll take sometime yet before your body fully acclimates to the gift I've given you, and during the time it'll take for us both to gather the necessary power to win, I want them to know we're out here. I want them to drive themselves mad in the search for us while wondering when and where the next strike will be. I want to build up their fear of us over time with multiple, brutal, attacks from our friends I have saved up now and the potential ones we'll make in the future while we watch from the shadows and learn all their moves. And when their at their mental and physical limits, that's when we'll finally reveal ourselves and destroy them in the worst possible way they could imagine."

Obidiah smirks "I see you've really thought this through."

Baby lets out a horrible laugh "Yes, I don't want this to end quickly like it did for my people when the Saiyans attacked us. I want to prolong their suffering as long as possible. So what do you say? How about we just sit back and enjoy the show?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Horrible was the best description I could think of for that laugh Baby has in the English dubbed GT, but if any of you could think of a better way to describe it let me know.


	17. Operation De-Hulk part 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It ended up taking 3 weeks instead of 2, I got sick for a while. I know I usually end up posting updates late, I'm sorry about that, but I'm determined to get this out on a consistent schedule. I'm gonna change updates to once every 3 weeks.

Chapter 17

* * *

Everyone disembarks from the jet, get in a car Tony called over and head to a hotel he usually goes to when he wants to avoid the press while visiting New York.

Tony gets them all checked in, and after getting two master key cards, one for himself and the boys, and one for Bruce and Betty, he pockets them and leads everyone to an elevator.

"Are you sure no one will be able to trace these rooms back to us?" Bruce asks as they ride the elevator to their floor.

Tony claps Bruce on the back "Don't worry about it, I always use this place when I want to come to New York anonymously. No one, including Ross can trace this place back to us. Plus, with these disguises Pep packed in the jet for us, we won't be recognized."

"Do hats and glasses really count as disguises?" Betty asks, slightly amused at seeing Gohan and Goten's clear disdain for wearing the hats.

"It is annoying to keep our hair contained in the hats, but this fools more people than you'd think. This is what we always do when we need to go out in public." Gohan explains while alternating between scratching his head and keeping Goten from taking his hat off with his free hand.

"Exactly, the Clark Kent method is surprisingly effective." Tony adds.

"I can attest to that." Bruce chimes in.

The elevator comes to a stop and everyone steps out of it.

Tony reaches into his pocket, pulls out the key cards and offers one to Bruce "This entire floor is vacant, except for us. These are master keys, so you can pick any room you'd like."

Bruce takes one of the key cards "I understand staying on a vacant floor, but why not stay in adjoining rooms?"

Tony smirks and whispers behind his hand so only Bruce and Betty hear "Just incase you 2 want to have some alone time that you don't want the young ears to hear." He then gives them a suggestive wink and wiggles his eyebrows.

The couple both go a little red in the face, then Betty glares at Tony, grabs Bruce's arm and drags him to a room at the end of the hallway while she mutters "Incorrigible."

Tony chuckles as he leads Gohan to a room on the opposite end of the hall, incase Bruce and Betty take him up on his offer.

As they enter their room, Gohan asks "What did you say that got her so upset?"

Tony tosses his stuff on one of the beds and replies in a deadpan tone "I'll tell you when your older."

Gohan sighs in exasperation, takes his hat off and places it on a nightstand and sits Goten down on the other bed, leaving the infant to take his hat off while the boy gets dressed in his sleep clothes.

Tony watches in amusement as Goten tries to tear his hat apart for a little while before he picks the baby up and sits back down on his bed "I think the hat's had enough monkey."

Goten reaches up and pulls Tony's hat right off his head, then tosses it across the room and shouts "Bad!" 

Tony bursts out laughing and after catching his breath, he assures "Message received little buddy. No more hats for now monkey, it's bedtime."

While Goten puts up a fuss at the mention of bedtime, Tony looks over at Gohan and sees the dread in his boy's expression "Are you ok kiddo?"

"Uh..yeah, I'm good." Gohan tries to reassure, hoping to hide his worry of more nightmares or his power going wild in his sleep again.

Tony can instantly tell that's not true and is certain the boy is worried about having another nightmare. 

Remembering something the original Jarvis used to do for him when he was little and suffering from nightmares or having trouble sleeping, Tony pulls down the covers on his bed, positions himself in the center, sitting against the headboard, lays Goten on one side of him and pats the free spot on the other side of him "C'mere squirt."

Gohan raises an eyebrow in question, but he complies and sits next to Tony.

Tony gestures for Gohan to lay down, and when he does, Tony pulls the the covers up then starts running his fingers across the top of the boy's head.

It feels nice and is surprisingly comforting, but Gohan can't help but ask "What are you doing?"

Tony keeps it up, and starts doing the same to Goten with his other hand while he explains "When I was little and having trouble with nightmares, my family's butler, Edwin Jarvis, who was more of a father to me than my actual dad, would lay down with me and rub my head like this until I fell asleep. It never failed to make me feel better and stop the nightmares."

Gohan starts feeling drowsy and notices that Goten is already out cold "Edwin Jarvis? That's where you got the name for JARVIS."

Tony lowers himself into a more comfortable position as he continues threading his fingers through the boys' hair "Yeah...one of the many reasons I made JARVIS was to help me take care of myself when I forget to, so it just made sense to base him off the first person who did that, especially since the original was pretty good at it."

Gohan chuckles a bit as his eyes start to close on their own "Is JARVIS a lot like he was?"

"In some ways. He was always good to banter with, he kept me fed, hydrated....and there was never a more patient or kinder man." Tony answers while fondly thinking back about the the man who more or less raised him up until his passing.

"I wish I could have met him." Gohan mumbles before completely drifting off to sleep.

Tony smiles at that thought, keeps rubbing both boys' heads for a little bit longer, and fully lays down himself "Yeah, he would have loved both of you."

Seeing that both boys are now asleep, Tony internally debates getting up, moving to the other bed, but before he can try, he feels Goten grab a fistful of his shirt and he knows he's not going anywhere now, so he just wraps one arm around each of his boys and falls into a peaceful asleep.

The next thing Tony is aware of is beeping and flashes followed by light laughter.

He cracks open one eye and sees Betty standing near the bed wearing a shit-eating grin and pointing a camera in his direction while Bruce is standing further back in the room behind her with a shy smile "What are you doing?"

Betty just laughs and snaps one more picture "Oh just a little blackmail. I couldn't resist, you 3 are so cute all cuddled up like that."

Tony sits up, rubs at his eyes, and lets out a yawn "You and Pepper will make a dangerous team someday, but I need some coffee before I contemplate that any further. So if you wouldn't mind." Tony gets out of bed.

"I've got you covered." Bruce says as he walks over to Tony and hands him a steaming cup.

Tony takes it and guzzles some of the drink down "Bruce your my hero." He says in thanks before continuing to down the coffee.

Bruce chuckles and takes a small sip of his own coffee "My pleasure."

After finishing his morning beverage in a few quick gulps Tony puts a hand on Gohan's shoulder and lightly shakes him "Up and at 'em little man. Its almost time to head out."

Gohan comes to and looks up at Tony "Is everything ok? I didn't power up in my sleep again did I?"

Tony ruffles his hair "Nah, everything's fine. We just need to head out soon."

Gohan laughs in relief and fixes his hair "Alright, sounds good."

After also waking Goten up, giving Bruce and Betty quite a shock when they saw the infant's tail which Tony and Gohan promised will be explained, they all have a quick breakfast, and get ready, Gohan putting his visor and hat on and going Super Saiyan, Tony putting his sunglasses and hat on, buckling Goten back in the Iron Baby Sling, closing it up, and having Gohan put it on. Finally, they all head out to meet with Mr. Blue.

They arrive outside the University Science Building lobby and see their guess on who Mr. Blue is exit the building.

They decide to have Betty approach him alone first "Excuse me, Dr. Sterns?"

The man turns to face her and answers "Yes."

"Sorry to bother you. I’m Elizabeth Ross."

Sterns' eyes widen in recognition "Dr. Ross, my goodness...I read your wonderful paper on synthesizing nucleotides!! To what do I owe the..."

Betty turns back and gestures for Bruce, Tony, and Gohan to come over "There’s someone I’d like to introduce you to..."

"Mr. Blue, I presume." Bruce says in greeting.

"Mr. Green!" Sterns replies in shock.

Bruce nods in the affirmative.

Noticing the other 2 in the group, Sterns asks "And who are your friends?"

Tony removes his sunglasses and Gohan takes off his hat for a moment to identify themselves.

"Oh my god! Tony Stark, and the 'Blond Berserker Boy'!" Sterns exclaims.

Gohan finches at that name, while Tony puts his sunglasses back on and shushes the man "First, don't call him that. Second, how about we take this somewhere else before one of us gets recognized?"

Sterns nods "Uh..sure. Follow me." 

He takes them all to his lab.

The lab has a bit of the ‘Mad Scientist’ clutter to it. Tony and Gohan examine the equipment while Sterns speaks very quickly "...it took some work, let me tell you, we’ve never tried to concentrate the trimethodine a tenth of what your peak exposure correlates with. That you survived an event like that to stand here and discuss this....it has something to do with Dr. Ross’s protein primer capacitating the cells of course, but it’s beyond my reckoning...we could study it for years."

"But you think you’ve got the concentration right?" Betty asks.

"Well yes...on paper anyway. And my cell saturation will make sure we don’t miss any spots...but...even if we hit the levels right, I can’t promise this will cure you. It might only be an antidote to suppress the specific flare up." He answers, then asks Bruce "When you have one of these 'spikes'...is the experience extreme?"

"You might say that." Bruce answers with a wry smirk.

"Well I can’t wait to see it! You know I must say...I wondered if you were real. And if you were I wondered what it would look like...a person with that much power lurking in him. Nothing could have surprised me more than this unassuming man shaking my hand!" Sterns says excitedly, then hesitates for a moment before explaining  "I’d be remiss however if I didn’t point out that these concentrations carry extraordinary levels of toxicity. If we’re over by even a small integer, the residual could kill you. Will kill you."

Bruce nods in understanding and adds "There’s a flip side to that...if we miss on the low side...if we induce me and it fails...it will be very dangerous for you."

Sterns smiles and replies "I’ve always been more curious than cautious. It’s served me well so far but if that’s what kills this cat in the end...well at least I’ll have peeked around a few corners."

"Well even if that scenario plays out, I'll be here to contain you if you go wild. No one will get hurt." Gohan says, hoping to reassure everyone.

Sterns nods and asks Gohan "That reminds me, did you also suffer from sort of accident? Is that how you got the strength to overpower Bruce in that form? After we take care of this would you mind if I ran some tests on you?"

Before Gohan can respond Tony answers for him "How about we just focus on the current project here? Alright?"

Sterns raises his hands in surrender "Fair enough." Then asks everyone "So then we’re all agreed?"

They all nod.

Sterns smiles "Then Into the Glorious Unknown we go!"

**Location Military Base:**

Ross’ forces mobilize. A Sikorsky winding up its jets.

Blonsky stands alone, staring at himself in the mirror, studying his own face. Something is changing in him. His shoulders and neck seem to have grown massive literally overnight.

As he studies his body and face...something very strange is happening to the bones in his spine. They have become too big, almost simian, protruding from between his enlarged back muscles in a disturbing way.

Blonsky loads in with other special forces soldiers. There are three two man sniper teams with special thermal scopes and rifles against one wall.

Blonsky sits against the wall next to a familiar face, a soldier who was in the campus fight with him.

The soldier asks him "How you feeling, man?"

Blonsky answers "Like a monster."

Blonsky grunts aggressively and flexes his arm. His arm muscle tears his sleeve a little. The other soldier shoots a look around.

Cabot and Ross come back to the rear to brief the team. She has copies of blueprints of the layout of Sterns' building and the surrounding buildings.

Blonsky calls out to Cabot "Back on the Hulk Hunt, Major..."

Cabot gives him no response "Banner and that super kid who was tagging along with Stark are the targets. Snipers have the point. Delta in backup. If we make it before they move we’ll have two tries. If we can’t take them inside, we’ll try for a shot as they exit. If we can’t hit them unaware before they make the street then plainclothes will try to follow and we stand down. Under no circumstances are Banner or the boy to be engaged directly. If we can’t get a shot, we fall back and let them go."

Blonsky asks "And if Banner goes nuclear?"

Ross answers "Then we’ll have failed to learn from our mistakes, won’t we? You’ve got the compact sonics. Try to at least move him out of the city center toward the river. Then disengage. We’ll follow from the air but not fight. Any questions?"

Blonsky scoffs "Not much of a rematch."

Cabot shoots him a glare "1.5 Million people within a five mile radius. You want to fight that thing here?"

Cabot steps to the front of the cabin, sits near Ross. "You sure about your guy?"

Ross responds "I need a dog in the hunt that’s not going to run from a bear if it shows up. If we do this right, I’ll never have to let him off the leash."

**Back at Sterns' lab:**

Sterns, Tony, Gohan, and Betty make the preparations to 'treat' Bruce. There is a table that looks disturbingly like a set-up for a lethal injection. A little bit of a Frankenstein vibe too, which Tony points out.

Bruce strips to his lycra shorts and gives his clothes to Betty.

"Think of all the money I’ll save on wardrobe if this works." Bruce jokes, then asks Betty "If this starts to go bad, promise me you won’t stay and try to help me."

"Bruce..." Betty starts to protest but Bruce interrupts "It’s the worst when it starts. You have to promise me you’ll run or I can’t do this." 

Betty reluctantly nods then Bruce turns to Tony and Gohan "If things go bad, please make sure she's safe."

Tony and Gohan both nod and Tony assures "Don't worry, at the first sign of an out of control Hulk, I'll get her out of the danger zone."

Gohan adds "And I'll be on standby to keep you contained or knock you out if necessary."

Bruce nods in thanks and Sterns indicates the nylon medical restraints and says "If you have a strong reaction these will keep you from hurting yourself."

Bruce let's off a weak chuckle "If I have a strong reaction you’re not going to need to worry about me."

Bruce climbs on the table. Sterns tilts it back so that Bruce is still at a slight angle and begins to strap him in.

Sterns puts an I.V. in each of Banner’s arms and legs linked to the Cell Saturation Machine which he primes. A canister with the antidote and some sort of futuristic spinner or plunger to send it through his body. Then he puts contact pads connected to electrical wires on Bruce’s temples. And finally a plastic bite suppressor for Bruce’s mouth.

"Ready?" Sterns asks.

Bruce gives the go ahead and Sterns jolts him with electricity. A lot of it. It hits him and Bruce's whole body spasms, every muscle in his body straining against the straps, eyes clenched and then -snapping open, glowing green.

A pulse of green in the base of his skull sends green Gamma energy shooting through his body, his skin floods with color from top to bottom, spreading from the base of his skull as the gamma energy shoots out of his brain.

"My God...!" Sterns says, in awe.

Betty informs "There’s more. Wait for it!"

They all see the full agony of the transformation as Bruce’s body starts to swell and stretch and harden. Tony and Gohan can almost feel the trauma of it on his bones and muscles. Sterns is staggered. Betty watches the man she loves be tortured in front of her, he howls in agony. Sterns steps closer...too close.

The restraints pop like rubber bands, one of them striking Sterns, who gets knocked back and dazed...The Hulk is appearing on the table, still in spasms.

"Now! Do it!" Betty shouts at Sterns.

The table starts to buckle under the weight as the Hulk continues to grow. Gohan gets ready to act if needed and Tony moves over to Betty incase he has to evacuate her fast. Hulk is going to lift his head up and get seriously angry any second...but then Betty jumps onto the table over him, leaning on that massive torso, looking for his eyes.

"BRUCE, STAY WITH ME!" Betty shouts.

Bruce/Hulk howls.

"Do it NOW!!!!" Betty screams at Sterns.

Sterns hits the button and the antidote starts to flow into him.

Slowly, painfully, the process starts to reverse. They all can almost see the fluid moving through those massive veins and finding its way into every corner and calm the radiation fire in his blood. And he shrinks...Finally, Bruce is back, lying on the buckled table with Betty kneeling over him. She strokes his forehead. He’s drenched in sweat, wrung out like a marathoner.

"It’s alright. You’re alright. It’s over." Betty assures Bruce.

**Outside the lab building:**

Helicopters are landing. Snipers and Blonsky’s team hit the ground running. Cabot and Ross move with the mobile communications team right behind them. All heading into waiting unmarked vans on 110th ST.

**Inside Sterns' lab:**

They’re all debriefing, and Sterns is talking a mile a minute.

"...the pulse came from the amygdala. I think Dr. Ross' 'primer' lets the cells absorb the energy temporarily and then it abates. That's why you didn’t die of radiation sickness years ago. Now maybe we’ve neutralized those cells permanently or maybe we just suppressed that event. I’m inclined to think the latter because none of our test subjects had a decline in absorption capacity, but of course they were getting Gamma in MUCH lower doses externally each time...But You! It’s like you’ve got a turbo booster in your brain. It’s one of the most wonderful things I’ve ever seen!"

"It’s not wonderful for Bruce." Betty states, irritated at Sterns' excitement about what just happened.

"In a medical science sense, of course. You’re miraculous." Sterns clarifies.

"So how did you know it would work?" Betty asks.

"I didn’t. But now that we have the data on Bruce’s initial -" Sterns starts to answer but Bruce interrupts him "Wait. You said 'test subjects'. What test subjects?"

"Yeah that's what I was wondering." Tony adds.

Sterns gestures and they all follow him to a door.

**Outside:**

On the surrounding rooftops, sniper teams take positions around Sterns' lab building. Each team with one shooter and one spotter with a thermal scanner.

Scanners springing on line. A thermal image of Betty, Bruce, Tony, Gohan, and Sterns shows them moving from one part of the lab into another.

Cabot informs over their radio "Targets are the tallest, in the middle and the smallest one.

Inside the building, Blonsky and his team move into positions in the lobby. 

**Back in Sterns' lab:**

Sterns leads everyone to the other room in his lab and to their horror, they see mutated animals. Rats, rheesus monkeys - some normal, others slightly Hulked-out versions of themselves...none Green, they are more gray.

"Red flag." Tony declares.

"Oh my god...what have you been doing?" Bruce asks Sterns.

Oblivious to everyone else's disgust, Sterns replies "Well you didn’t send me much of your blood to work with and I couldn’t risk blowing the opportunity, so I concentrated it and made more."

Bruce is looking around in horror, his worst nightmare is coming true before his eyes. He has been replicated.

"A lot of the first ones didn’t survive of course, but as you can see we’re doing much better. And we’re only giving them very low-dose Gamma, so no power-lifters yet but the interesting thing..." Sterns starts to explain, but Bruce cuts him off "You’ve got to destroy all of it."

"Sorry, what?" Sterns asks.

"Destroy all of it. Right now. Show me your supply." Bruce clarifies.

"You must be joking. We’ll share a Nobel for this, Think of the applications." Sterns argues.

"It doesn’t matter if it can’t be controlled...You don’t know the power of what we’re dealing with here!" Bruce shouts.

"But we’ve got the antidote now!" Sterns tries.

**With Blonsky:**

While listening to Cabot and the snipers talk about lining up their shots, Blonsky loses his patience and bolts to the stairs.

"Blonsky’s going in...he’s going in!" One of the soldiers shouts over the radio.

"Blonsky! Stand down!" Ross orders.

Blonsky ignores him and takes entire flights of stairs in a few jumps. He goes up eight stories in seconds.

**Back in the lab:**

"They don’t want the antidote! They want a weapon. They want it to fight for them and if they get it, then we lose control of it!" Bruce tries to get through Sterns' thick skull.

"Seriously man, you don't want this kinda thing getting into the wrong hands. Especially General Ross'." Tony adds.

Sterns rolls his eyes "I hate the government too, but you’re being a little paranoid don’t you th---?"

Having been distracted by the argument, Gohan doesn't notice the hostile presences surrounding them until-CRUNCH! The sound of something fast going through glass alerts him.

"Guys, we're surroun-" Gohan tries to inform everyone, but one of the things that broke through the window lands in front of him and explodes into a gas. Even with the filter in his mask, he inhales some of it, immediately causing him to drop out of Super Saiyan, and a familiar fatigue to run through his entire body.

"Im..poss..ible." Gohan mutters before dropping to the ground, paralyzed.

"Kid!" Tony shouts in worry as he rushes to Gohan's side.

"What's hap-" Betty starts to say but notices the funny look on Bruce’s face. When he turns she sees a tranq dart in the back of his neck.

Sterns screams, and backs away from the window. Bruce's eyes widen, his pulse monitor starts going wild and he shouts at Betty "Get out of here now!" 

Bruce's knees start to buckle and Betty rushes over and catches him.

Blonsky explodes through the door, rifle raised.

Betty jumps up in front of Bruce.

Tony starts to reach in his pocket for his capsuled armor but stops when he hears Gohan's voice in his head 'Don't do it! There's something unstable about this guy! Don't do anything to draw his attention!'

Tony clenches his hands in frustration but complies with his son's request.

Blonsky shoves Betty out of the way too hard, his strength abnormal and she is knocked a few feet away before hitting the ground on her arm, she crys out in pain.

Bruce's eyes are livid...but hazy, struggling to focus. Blonsky looks at him, his eyes boring into Bruce's...

"Come on! COME ON!! WHERE IS IT?!" He shouts at Bruce.

Other soldiers burst through the lab door.

"BLONSKY!!!" One of them shouts.

Blonsky cracks Bruce in the head with the butt of his gun, knocking him out.

Some of the soldiers approach Gohan but Tony gets between them.

"Stand aside sir, we're taking the boy into custody for interrogation." One of the soldiers tells Tony. 

"Sorry soldier boy, but unless you put a bullet in my head, I'm not leaving the kid's side." Tony stubbornly replies.

"You either hand him over, or your both coming with us."

Tony quickly looks around the room and assesses the situation. With Bruce unconscious and being carted away along with Betty, and that Blonsky guy looking ready to attack at the slightest provocation while Gohan is incapacitated and defenseless, he figures that there's only one way to make sure they all stick together without everything within a few mile radius being leveled in a fight. So Tony makes his decision and raises his hands over his head "Alright, you got us."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure how canon human Jarvis is to the mcu but I know he's in that Agent Carter show and I'm pretty sure that's canon to the mcu so I'm guessing Jarvis does end up working for the mcu Stark family. The head rubbing thing is just something my grandma used to do for me when I was little and with the 10 year anniversary of her passing being so close, February 25th, she's on my mind so I put it down here. Plus you can never have too much fluff.


	18. Harlem Showdown Prelude

Chapter 18

* * *

The street running along the north end of the campus behind Sterns’ building is closed off by police vehicles.

Soldiers escort Tony with Gohan in his arms and the sling on his back and Betty out of Sterns' building while carting Bruce out on a stretcher.

Bruce is tied down to the stretcher, his wrists cuffed in enormous, possibly slightly futuristic shackles with electro-magnetic locks, He is awake, amazingly, but groggy.

Betty is walking with him, talking to him, her wrist in a splint. Two soldiers walk with them, standing guard. 

Tony is a few steps behind them, talking with Gohan through the boy's telepathy.

'Are you ok kiddo?' 

Gohan manages a small nod 'I think so...but this feels the same as when Obidiah dosed me with S-Suppressor.'

Tony keeps himself from outwardly reacting and continues looking ahead to avoid drawing any suspicion from their captors while replying 'That shouldn't be possible. All of Obi's henchman that made it were taken into Shield custody, and I personally made sure their entire supply of it was destroyed.'

'I'm not sure how they could've gotten it or how they knew it would affect me, but this is definitely S-Suppressor.' Gohan responds.

Tony sees General Ross in the distance and glares at him for a moment, then looks back down at Gohan 'Once we're out of this mess, I'm gonna be having a long talk with the good General about that.'

'Does that mean you have a plan to get us out of this?' Gohan asks.

Tony blanches at Gohan's hopeful tone 'Uhh...I'll have to get back to you on that. But for now just hold onto this while I work something out.'

Before Gohan can ask what Tony means, he feels him place something in his hand.

Immediately recognizing the feel of the object, Gohan asks 'Isn't this your capsuled armor?'

'Yeah. I figure they might search me, but while your unable to move much, they'll overlook checking you for anything. Considering what they saw of your abilities yesterday, they won't think you'd have any weapons on ya.' 

Gohan closes his hand around the capsule 'I understand. I'll make sure it doesn't go anywhere.'

Tony smirks at Gohan and assures 'Don't worry squirt, I promise we're going to be ok.' hoping he appears as confident as he sounds.

Gohan nods again 'Not a doubt in my mind.'

As Tony and Gohan begin to strategize, Ross talks with Cabot.

"Never seen anyone come round from a tranq dose like that. Why the hell aren’t we keeping him under?" Cabot asks, worried about a potential Hulk-Out.

Ross scoffs "You want to be the one to stick a needle in his arm that he doesn’t want?" He looks over at Betty who's sticking close to Bruce "She’s our best insurance. Keep her right next to him...He knows if he pops off it’s her that gets hurt."

Cabot sees Ross' point and moves on to the next subject "What do you want to do with Sterns?"

"I want him pinned in that lab with you. Don’t let him leave the room to piss until he’s identified every bottle, every box, every machine in the place. Then package it up and get it back home. Then get aiding and abetting charges and get him turned over to us. If Banner won’t give us answers maybe we can get him to."

Cabot nods and heads into the building.

As Bruce is being rolled past Ross, he approaches him, looks him over, worried that since he hasn't changed yet, he might have succeeded in curing himself. So he threatens him "If you took it from me, I'm gonna put you in a hole for the rest of your life."

Bruce says nothing while he gets taken off the stretcher and is put in shackles. 

He's walked up the rear ramp of the Sikorsky under Ross’s gaze.

As Betty moves to follow him, Ross puts a hand on her arm and stops her.

"Betty..." He starts to say but stops.

She just glares at him "I will never forgive what you have done to him. And to me."

Ross dismisses her anger and tries to justify his actions "He is a fugitive. He made choices and I have a responsibility..."

But Betty isn't having it and counters his reasoning "You made him a fugitive! To cover your failures and save your career. He told me what you said to him after the accident, before I woke up...what you proposed. That’s why he ran and gave up..."

Ross refuses to admit she's right and keeps digging his heels in "His work...his blood...is the property of the United States Army and my duty supersedes my personal feelings in this matter."

Betty refuses to react to her father's nonsense and mockingly replies "Truth Justice and the American Way..."

"Something like that." He stubbornly shoots back.  

"You have to start with Truth or the rest of it doesn’t work. Don’t speak to me as your daughter. Not ever again." She retorts then turns to get in the aircraft with Bruce.

As she's moving up the ramp, Ross stops her again and tells her "It’s only because you’re my daughter that you’re not in handcuffs too."

She says nothing and moves to sit in front of Bruce.

Having heard some of that exchange, Tony, as he steps into the aircraft, quips at Ross "I wouldn't count on getting a card for father's day ever again, huh General?"

"Just get in Stark! And make sure you and that super-boy sidekick of yours co-operate." Ross angrily replies.

Tony sits Gohan next to Betty, has JARVIS move the sling around to his chest, and sits next to Bruce before facing Ross and replying "Sorry General, but this is all the cooperation your gonna get out of us." then nonchalantly flips him off.

Bruce and Betty both crack smiles at this, then nearly burst out laughing when Gohan asks "What does showing him your middle finger mean?"

Ross decides not to talk back at Tony and just moves to the front of the aircraft while Tony answers the boy "I'll tell you when your older."

**Back in Sterns' lab:**

A sentry stands outside the doors, while Cabot is questioning Sterns.

"...then it’s not the same." Cabot states.

"Not exactly no, but it could be better. What happened to him was a freak accident. We’ve sorted out some of the pieces but I don’t think I could put together the same Humpty Dumpty just yet if you follow me..." Sterns explains.

"I don’t want to know if you can make another one I want to know if Banner’s the only serious threat at the...." Cabot tries to reply but suddenly stops, jerks a little, then her eyes roll back and she slumps over.

Blonsky is standing behind her, keeping the gun he just hit her in the back of her head with in his hand "Bitch never shuts up."

Sterns stares in bewilderment at Blonsky and asks "Why are you always hitting people all the time?" 

Blonsky justs cocks his gun and points it at Sterns' face.

"What could I have possibly done to deserve such aggression?" Sterns asks.

"It’s not what you’ve done. It’s what you’re going to do." Blonsky tells him.

"Well I like your use of future tense in that sentence anyway." Sterns quips.

"I want what you got out of Banner." Blonsky demands "I want it in me."

Sterns eyes him appraisingly "You look like you’ve got a little something in you already, don’t you."

"I want more. You've seen what he becomes, right?" Blonsky asks.

"I have, and it’s beautiful...God-like." Sterns replies.

"Well I want that..'huff'..I need that. Make me that."

"I don’t know what you've got inside you already...the mixture could be....an abomination." Sterns explains.

Blonsky bends and grabs Sterns by the front of his jacket with one hand and easily lifts him up and places his gun under the man's chin.

"I didn't say I was unwilling I just need ‘informed consent’...and you’ve given it!"

**With Tony, Gohan, Bruce, and Betty:**

The Sikorsky cuts through the air over the Hudson River.

Bruce and Betty sit across from each other toward the rear with Tony and Gohan next to them and armed soldiers flanking them. Ross is up toward the front with communications officers and a bunch of monitors. Bruce and Betty stare at each other. She takes his hand, holds it.

Bruce lifts their linked hands and kisses the back of hers.

They then both look to Tony and Gohan and Betty asks "Are you ok?"

They both nod and Tony quietly tells them "Yeah, the kid just needs some time for that crap to run its course then he'll be good as new."

The couple smile in relief and Bruce asks "The way you said that means you've dealt with whatever that stuff is before, what's the story behind that?"

Tony and Gohan look to each other and Tony telepathically asks 'Do you mind linking them to us so we can explain it all without talking out loud?'

'Sure. No problem.' Gohan replies.

Tony smirks, turns back to Bruce and Betty and tells them "Heads up, something strange is about to happen. Try not to outwardly react." 

They both blink at Tony's warning then hear Gohan's voice in their heads 'Bruce, Betty, I've linked our minds so we can just think to talk to each other.'

They both jump a bit, but manage to school their expressions.

'Like this?' Bruce thinks.

Betty blinks 'Oh my god, Bruce. I heard that.'

Bruce looks at Betty, both more than a little shocked by this, when they both hear Tony's voice 'I know it's a lot to take in. But this is the best way to plan our getaway.'

'Ok, so what was that stuff Gohan was dosed with and how long til he's good to go again?' Bruce asks.

Gohan and Tony quickly explain about the the saiyan tail weak spot and how the S-Suppressor came to be.

'We know how it works but aren't sure how long this dose will last.' Gohan finishes.

'Though since the mask filtered some if not most of it out, hopefully the effects won't last too long.' Tony adds, some guilt creeping in from the back of his mind that his upgraded equipment couldn't completely protect Gohan from this surprise attack.

'Well hopefully it won't be much longer til your better Gohan, but how did my dad even get this S-Suppressor stuff or know it would affect you like this?' Betty wonders.

'Well once this is over, I'm gonna be asking him those same questions.' Tony responds, a little of his anger is felt by Bruce, Betty, and Gohan.

None of them mention it and begin formulating a plan to get out of their current predicament, but are interrupted when Ross begins shouting at someone over radio.

**In Sterns' lab:**

Sterns has Blonsky on a table and hooks him to a container of some of Bruce's blood he synthesized.

He activates a machine and a green light envelops Blonsky.

All the surrounding equipment starts going haywire as Blonsky begins to change.

Blonsky starts growling like an animal while Sterns tries to repair the machinces and explain "This is what I was trying to explain...I don't know what you've been ladling into yourself...But it clearly worked."

Blonsky stands up off the table while still transforming, and approaches Sterns.

"Let's assume you don't understand a word I'm saying...." Sterns says to Blonsky as the abomination gets closer "But if you'll just get back on the table, I can fix this."

The change is complete, Blonsky’s body is similar in hight and in color to the Hulk's, except with spikes having grown out of various parts of his body. His elbows, behind his legs, and a row of them over his spine.

The beast throws a swing at Sterns and sends him crashing into the monitor where he had the blood set up.

Having been shook up by the crash, some of the blood leaks out if it's container and drops right on the open cut on Sterns head, as Blonsky is cackling in the background.

A few more drops land on the the scientist's wound and everything from his forehead and up starts bulging out and changing.

A smile breaks out on his face as the screams of the soldiers standing guard echo throughout the room, a sign of them being attacked by Blonsky.

Outside the building a few of Blonsky's team and a few NYPD officers are keeping the area on lockdown when the sentries left inside fly out of the lab window, one crashing into a nearby power line, sending sparks flying around the area and another hitting a building across the street from the lab.

The cops hit the deck while the soldiers move in and report the situation over the radio.

"Delta 4 to Leader! They took out two of our guys! Two of our guys! Blonsky and the Major are still inside!"

The monster jumps down from the lab and walks down the road in front of the soldiers.

They pursue him while he heads out to a high traffic area and starts attacking anything and anyone in sight.

**With Tony, Gohan, Bruce, and Betty:**

Everyone in the aircraft hear from the radio "Delta 4 to Leader, something big just went off down here!"

"General you should hear this!" An officer calls for Ross to listen to the radio.

As soon as he takes the radio, he hears "The Hulk is in the street! I repeat, the Hulk is in the street!"

Ross turns and stares at Bruce as if double checking he was still in the aircraft with him.

Bruce, Tony, Betty, and Gohan turn to look at the General while he replies "That's impossible. You get a hold of yourself, young man. You get it together. What is your position?"

"121st street, heading north on Broadway!" The soldier replies.

Ross puts down the radio and orders the pilot "Turn us around."

The pilot nods and the helicopter banks sharply.

In the back Bruce, Tony, Betty, and Gohan having not heard most of the radio exchange can’t tell what’s going on, but they can tell something has happened.

"We’re going back. Why are we going back?" Bruce asks aloud.

Bruce, Betty, and Tony look at Ross as he shouts into the radio while looking at the monitors "Damn it! Give me eyes down there!"

As the soldier on the other side of the line answers "Yes Sir!" Gohan is extending his senses and is surprised when he feels a presence extremely similar to Bruce while in Hulk form out in the direction they're now heading. Except this one isn't full of rage and confusion, it's pure darkness and malice.

Everyone else can hear sirens, explosions, and screams over the monitor.

As Gohan starts telepathically explaining what's happening to Tony, Bruce, and Betty, Blonsky is causing havoc and panic down on the streets.

The abomination is attacking people, and tossing cars all around the street.

Just as Gohan finishes informing them about what he sensed, Bruce is able to see the monster's silhouette on the monitor screen.

He quickly stands up and moves closer to the monitor "No!" 

Betty and the other soldiers on board follow him to watch what's going on as well.

Tony moves over to Gohan, takes his capsuled armor back "Looks like we might be needed very soon. How are you feeling kiddo?"

Gohan tries to stand up, but isn't able to stay on his feet and falls back down on the seat "Still weak, but don't worry about me. Get ready to head out and help everyone down there."

Tony is about to protest but more horrified screams from the video feed stop him. 

He and Gohan look at the monitor and see the abomination let out a roar.

Bruce and Betty turn to Ross and Bruce asks "One of yours?"

Betty gasps in shock and glares at her father "Oh my God. What gave you done?"

Ross says nothing and they turn back to the feed where the officers and soldiers are trying to shoot the monster down while hordes of terrified people run past them to get away from the beast.

The bullets have no affect on it and even when they try a rocket launcher, the abomination just chuckles and starts running toward the soldiers.

"Get out of there soldier!" Ross orders.

The soldiers began to flee in their vehicle, but it's too damaged to go full speed and is put to halt when it crashes into an empty vehicle behind them.

The abomination catches up to them and when a taxi starts heading toward him, he lifts it over his head and shouts in the soldiers' direction "Give me a real fight!" Before slamming the taxi right on top of them, killing the soldiers and cutting the feed.

Everyone stands in silence for a few moments, then Ross orders his people "Tell them to bring everything they've got and head for Harlem."

Bruce, knowing that with Gohan still out of commission and that all of Ross' forces won't be enough, he decides "It has to be me. You have to take me back there."

"What are you saying?" Betty asks "You think you can control it?"

Bruce shakes his head "No, no, not control it, but..I don't know, maybe aim it."

"And what if you can't!?" Ross shouts.

Bruce just looks at him and says "We made this. All of us. Please?"

Ross stays silent for a few moments, then orders the pilot "Land us near it."

"No, no. No, keep us high. Open the back door." Bruce interjects.

Ross nods to the soldiers in the back, and the door starts to open.

As Bruce walks over to the exit, getting ready to jump out of the aircraft in hopes of forcing the transformation, Tony removes the sling, uncapsules the armor, and suits up.

Betty follows Bruce and tries to reason with him "Bruce! Bruce, stop! What are you doing? Think about this! You don't even know if you'll change!"

Tony gives Gohan the sling and walks over to Bruce and Betty "She's right man. Besides, you said yourself that you didn't want to fight. I can hold it off while Ross’ people and the police evacuate the civilians, at least until the kid recovers."

Bruce leans over the exit but Betty grabs his arm "You don't have to do this! Please, this is insane!"

Bruce just shakes his head and says "Betty I got to try. I'm sorry." Then turns to Tony "That armor may be tough, but the way it is now won't be enough to put that thing down for the count."

Tony nods, not liking to admit it, but knowing this current version of the armor wouldn't be enough to deal much damage to the abomination, and he isn't confident that his level of ki skills would be able to compensate "Ok, I'll focus on evacuating the nearby people while you take care of buissnes." He then turns to Betty and asks "Can I count on you to watch my boys until Gohan recovers."

Betty nods "Of course."

'Good luck. I'll be down as soon as I can.' Gohan telepathically tells them.

Tony goes on ahead and Bruce and Betty share a quick but passionate kiss before he lets go of her and free falls out of the aircraft.

Bruce closes his eyes and tries to force the change, but after falling for several seconds with nothing happening, his eyes shoot open and he whispers "Oh, shit!" before crashing into the ground below, forming a small crater.

Betty gasps in horror at the sight before Ross has some of the soldiers drag her back inside, and closing the door.

Betty and Ross move to stare out the windows at the spot where Bruce landed. 

The cracked pavement starts to shake, then a giant green fist punches it out of the way.

"There, Betty." Ross calls his daughter, hoping to reassure her that Banner is ok.

Betty just stares in silence while Hulk starts climbing out of the rubble.

Tony flies down next to him and slides the face plate on his helmet up "Good to see ya got down here in one piece buddy. Are you ready for a showdown?"

Hulk doesn't acknowledge Tony at all and just takes a step forward before letting out a ground shaking roar in the abomination's direction.

Tony smirks, brings the face plate back down and quips "I'll take that as a yes." 


	19. Harlem Showdown

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a bit late, but I was sick for nearly a week straight.

Chapter 19

* * *

As Hulk's roar echoes through the street, it's heard by the Abomination.

He turns to the direction it came from and smirks "Hulk." 

The two behemoths' eyes lock from the opposite ends of the street and they start walking towards each other.

While they begin to speed up, Tony takes off to start getting the civilians who are still too close to the action out of the area.

Both giants have gone into full sprints and as they're about to meet, they jump and collide in midair.

They hit the ground rolling and struggle against each other for a bit, but Abomination gets a hold of Hulk and tosses him into some of the burning wreckage surrounding them from his earlier rampaging.

Hulk flys through some vehicles before hitting the ground hard.

It takes him a few moments to get back on his feet, but he's dazed and falls back down.

While he's trying to catch his breath, Abomination slowly walks toward him, and once he sees the state Hulk's in after such a brief exchange, he laughs and taunts him "Come on!" before he charges him again. 

Hulk spots an empty police car next to him and starts tearing it in half. Once he finishes, he takes each half of it and puts them over his fists like gauntlets and goes on the attack.

Hulk lands several punches on Abomination and knocks him to the ground.

He gets on top of his adversary, unleashes a brutal barrage of punches and doesn't stop until his makeshift gauntlets completely fall apart.

Not bothered by losing his weapons, Hulk just throws a few more punches at Abomination's face.

Seemingly unfazed by any of these attacks, Abomination looks Hulk in the eye and asks "Is that all you've got!?"

Hulk pulls back his arm for another punch, but before he can throw it, Abomination uses both his legs to kick him in the gut, launching him through a nearby building.

While Abomination gets up and scales the building Hulk just went through, Ross has his pilot get them closer to the monster.

He has one of his soldiers aim one of their turrets at Abomination "Use that thing to give him some help!"

"Which one!?" The soldier asks.

"Help the green one damn it! Which one do you think!? Cut the other one in half!" Ross shouts.

The soldier compiles and unleashes a hail of bullets, but when they make contact, all they seem to do is irritate the Abomination.

He snarls at Ross, then starts climbing up to the roof of the building.

When he gets there, Ross' aircraft follows and starts firing on him again.

None of the bullets are hitting their target, but the noise gets Hulk's attention back on Abomination and he begins to give chase.

"Keep on him!" Ross shouts.

"Enough! Stop it!" Gohan screams.

Ross turns to the boy while the gunner keeps on firing "What's your problem!?" Ross asks.

With some strength starting to return, Gohan stands, marches over to Ross, and grabs him by the collar of his shirt "Your stupidity is my most pressing problem right now! Your bullets have no effect on him, but they could end up wounding or even killing nearby civilians! Plus, if he decides to attack us now while I still haven't recovered enough, he could send this aircraft crashing to the ground and kill us all!"

Before Ross can try to retort, Abomination jumps up at the chopper and attempts to attack it, but thankfully Hulk hits him in midair before he can.

Though Abomination couldn't get a shot in, he still got a grip on the aircraft, and his excess weight was starting to bring it out of the air.

Hulk got a hold of Abomination, and was repeatedly punching him to get him to let go, but he wouldn't loosen his grip.

This causes the Sikorsky to start spiraling out of control.

As they are about to crash, JARVIS updates Tony on the situation while Gohan is frantically trying to conjure an energy barrier to help soften their landing.

Cursing under his breath, Tony points out the nearest emergency vehicle to the last of the people he was helping evacuate, then takes off, following the tracer in Gohan's visor.

Tony gets close enough in time to see the chopper crash land 'Shit! Please be ok!?'

Thankfully, Gohan succeeded in getting a barrier up in the interior of the aircraft. Everyone was shaken up, but mostly uninjured.

"Is everyone ok?" Gohan calls out.

The soldiers are picking themselves up while Betty helps her father "We are, thanks to you."

Gohan sighs in relief "JARVIS?" 

"I understand young sir." The A.I replies, shutting off the outer speaker of Gohan's mask and brings up a screen showing Goten in the sling.

"Are you doing ok, Goten?" Gohan asks his brother.

Goten seems rattled, and on the verge of tears, but he lights up at hearing Gohan's voice "Bubba!"

"He is uninjured young sir." JARVIS promises.

Before Gohan can respond, Tony's voice is right in his ear "Kid! Are you ok!?" A second screen pops up in Gohan's sight, showing Tony, the worry in his eyes unmistakable.

Gohan assures "We're all ok dad. I put up a barrier before we crashed, everyone is safe." 

Tony lets out a breath he didn't know he was holding "Good job kiddo. Does that mean your fully recovered?"

"I think so."

"Good...cuz from what I can see, we're probably gonna need you out here."

**Outside the Sikorsky:**

Hulk slowly comes to, and gets back on his feet.

He starts heading towards the downed aircraft, when Abomination jumps up on top of it.

They stare each other down and growl at one another, then charge.

They tussle for a bit, then Abomination pins Hulk against a wall and starts pounding on him while Tony lands near the Sikorsky and starts helping the passengers out of the wreckage.

Hulk tries to free himself, but none of the blows he's landing are getting Abomination to lossen his grip on him.

"You don't deserve this power! You can watch her die!" Abomination shouts in Hulk's face, then uses a spike on his elbow to stab into his chest.

Hearing what Abomination said and Hulk scream in pain brings out some of Gohan's anger.

He quickly telepathically tells Tony and Betty to take Goten and the others some distance away while he gets closer to the giants.

When he's certain he's close enough to be heard, he shouts "You call that power!?"

This gets their attention, Abomination drives his fist into Hulk's gut before turning to Gohan "Yeah, I do."

Hulk drops to his knees and tries to catch his breath. Abomination ignores him and takes a few steps toward Gohan "What else would you call it?"

Gohan retracts the lower part of his mask and scowls at Abomination "I'd call what you've done and what your doing pathetic, idiotic."

Abomination roars at Gohan and takes another step toward him "You'd better watch your mouth, kid! Or I'll crush you!"

Gohan closes the distance between them, spreads his arms out, and smirks "Give me your best shot."

Everyone watching gasps as Abomination punches the boy right in the face. The shockwave cracks the ground around him, but the kid doesn't budge an inch.

Gohan looks back up at Abomination, and wipes a drop of blood off his lip "Is that really all you've got?"

This sends Abomination into a blind rage, he starts throwing dozens more punches, but Gohan stops each one with a single finger.

"Why!!? Why can't I hurt you!!!?" Abomination screams as another one of his punches is effortlessly stopped.

While Abomination stops his assault to try to catch his breath, Gohan knees him in the gut "It's because I'm stronger than you."

Abomination falls to his knees and coughs up some blood "No!! I'm the strongest now!!"

Enraged that this fool only cares about his own strength and isn't even thinking about the lives he stole while rampaging about, Gohan decides to give him a demonstration "I'll show you what strength is."

He take a few steps back and powers up to Super Saiyan.

As his golden aura bursts outward, everyone, including Abomination and Hulk stare in wonder.

"You see Mr. Blonsky, in this state I'm 50 times stronger than I was before." Gohan explains, then goes Super Saiyan 2.

While sparks fly around him, and his hair spikes up, he continues "This form is 2 times stronger than the last one, and I have one more form that increases my power 4 times higher than this. So if you add that all up, I can become 400 times stronger than I was when I was stopping your punches with just a finger."

Realizing how outmatched he really is, Abomination drops to his knees and repeatedly slams his arms onto the ground, like a child in the middle of a tantrum.

"If your this strong, than why are you hesitating? You could do whatever you want and kill anyone who stood in your way. Why waste it?" Abomination demands to know.

Gohan punches him in the gut, knocking him backward "You wouldn't get it. I hate this. The vibrations through my fist on contact, the taste of blood in my mouth, the sound of my heart in my ears, I hate it. I always have. But the one thing I hate more than it, is people like you."

Abomination tries to get up, but Gohan kicks him in the head, sending him crashing into a wall "People like you, or General Ross, who relentlessly search for power at any expense, even if it means the destruction of innocent lives. And once you get a hold of it, you use it for all the wrong reasons. It makes me sick."

As everyone watches on, Tony starts to worry. Fearing that Gohan may be giving into to his saiyan side and might take this too far.

Thinking about all the people who lost their lives to this monster stirs a deep rage in Gohan, along with guilt that he could of saved them if he hadn't been drugged by Ross. But before he can fully give into it and rip Abomination apart, he remembers his nightmare about Obidiah, and his fight with Cell.

Deciding to stop before he goes past the point of no return, Gohan surprises everyone, even himself, by powering down to his base form and turning his back on Abomination "This is over. Surrender now, and you might still have a future."

This just enrages Abomination, he's not gonna let this kid beat him after he's finally gotten all of this power!

Out of the corner of his eye, he notices a chain hooked to two concrete posts. He yanks it out of the ground, swings it around, and tries to hit Gohan with it.

Before the posts can hit Gohan, Hulk catches both, and pulls on them to drag Abomination over to him.

Having sensed the attack but trusting Bruce/Hulk to stop it, Gohan smiles up at Hulk and asks "I can leave him to you?"

Hulk smirks down at Gohan and nods.

"He's all yours." Gohan tells him as he flash steps over to the rest of the spectators.

Abomination lets go of the chain and Hulk starts swinging the posts around, hitting Abomination with them until they crumbled apart. Then he charges him and starts wrapping the chain around his throat.

Abomination tries to get him off, lands a few swings, but Hulk just wraps the chain around his throat one more time, then starts pulling on it to choke the Abomination.

Abomination struggles for quite a bit, but its a losing battle. And just when it looks like Hulk is gonna snap Abomination's neck, Betty screams "Stop!"

He pauses and looks Betty in the eye for a moment.

"Its over." She tells him, hoping that Bruce won't cross this line.

Hulk stops pulling on the chain, seemingly considering whether to finish Abomination off or not. But after a few seconds, he lets go of the chain, dropping Abomination on the ground, stomps on his chest, punches him in the face, knocking him out, and lets out a victorious roar.

Hulk kicks Abomination's unconscious body over to General Ross as Betty approaches him with a tear running down her face.

When she gets close enough, Hulk lifts his hand and wipes it away "Be..tty."

Justs when it seems like it's all over, a news chopper flys overhead and shines a spotlight on Hulk.

"Uh-oh." Tony tells Gohan "Looks like a media frenzy is about to start."

Gohan smiles, takes the sling back and tells Tony "Don't worry, I've got him covered. We'll see you at the hotel."

Tony slides up his helmets face plate, and gives Gohan a thumbs up "Right, I'll take care of things on this end, make sure Ross gets this guy locked up somewhere sturdy, and the vultures get their story. You get our friend out of here and rest up."

Gohan returns the gesture, then flash steps to Hulk and Betty "I can get Hulk out of here, but we should probably go now."

Hulk and Betty lock eyes for a moment, then Betty nods "Alright, I'll see you both later."

Gohan and Hulk both nod, and Gohan holds out his hand "Hold on."

Hulk grabs his hand, and in an instant, they're gone. Gohan takes him several miles away, and when he sees an empty alleyway, he stops and moves them there.

Hulk seems a bit disoriented by the fast travel, so Gohan gives him a minute to recover before he asks him "I appreciate everything you did Hulk. But do you think you can let Bruce back out?"

Hulk is a little reluctant, but Gohan assures him "Don't worry, I promise I'm gonna help you and Bruce find a middle ground to work towards so you can both be happy."

Hulk scoffs and rolls his eyes, but complies, starting to slowly change back into Bruce.

Once Bruce is back, he falls unconscious, and Gohan rushes them back to their hotel as quickly and discretely as possible.

Then as soon as he got Bruce in a bed and Goten to sleep on the other, he promptly passes out.

**The Next Morning:**

Bruce slowly regains consciousness, his body aching all over.

For a second, he wonders why everything hurts so much, but as if to answer his curiosity, memories of the events from the previous night come to the forefront of his mind.

He shoots up into a sitting position, and immediately regrets it when it triggers throbbing pain throughout his entire body.

"Good morning sleeping beauty." He hears someone call out to him.

"Tony?" Bruce asks, turning to face the direction the voice came from.

Tony is standing near the other bed where Gohan and Goten are sitting.

"The one and only. How are you feeling buddy?" Tony replies.

"Like I got run over by a tank, and then it backed up over me a couple of times for good measure." Bruce answers, squeezing the bridge of his nose in an attempt to head off a headache.

"Sounds about right." Tony quips as Goten starts trying to crawl over to Bruce.

"Bwu!" Goten calls.

Everyone chuckles and Tony moves him to Bruce's bed so he can get closer.

Goten stares right into Bruce's eyes and asks "Bwu?"

Bruce smiles down at him "I'll be fine little one, don't worry."

Goten manages to get on his feet, and places a hand on Bruce's forehead.

Everyone watches Goten, curious about what he's doing.

Bruce startles when he feels Hulk's presence in the back of his mind for a moment.

Goten bursts into giggles and falls down into a sitting position "Huk."

Tony and Bruce blink at that and Bruce asks "Did he just...?"

Gohan nods "Yeah, I think he just felt and heard Hulk inside you."

Bruce looks down at Goten, then at Gohan and Tony "Before I start contemplating what that means...I need to ask..what happened after I was out?"

Tony scoops Goten up into his arms and explains "Well, once you and Gohan fled the scene, I handled the press while JARVIS took control of the suit and helped Ross' crew get Blonsky contained."

"Where is he now? And where is Betty?"

"Don't worry, she's ok. She's just talking to her dad down at the hotel bar. The General wasn't too happy when I called in Shield to come collect Blonsky. He started hitting the sauce hard after they told him they were moving Blonsky to a secure facility out of his reach."

Bruce nods as he takes in the information and Gohan asks "What's 'hitting the sauce' mean?"

Tony's quick to answer with "I'll tell you when your older."

"How long are you gonna give me that line?" Gohan huffs.

"Until your older." Tony retorts.

Bruce can't help but laugh to himself as he watches Tony and Gohan's banter, but also can't help worrying about Betty "Well as entertaining as you guys are, would you mind if we put a pin in this to go check on Betty?"

"I guess we can make time." Tony quips, then tosses some clothes to Bruce.

Bruce quickly gets dressed, then they all head down to the lobby.

Once Betty sees them coming, she leaves her father to his moping, walks over to the others and pulls Bruce into an embrace.

Tony leaves the couple to their mushiness and approaches Ross.

The General downs his glass in one go, then tells the bartender to "Reload."

"Hmmm, the smell of stale beer and defeat. You know, I hate to say I told you so General, but that Super Soldier program was put on ice for a reason. I've always felt that hardware is more reliable anyway." Tony snarks.

"Says the guy with the super freak boy sidekick." Ross shoots back.

Tony glares at the General "Touchē, though that's not what I'd call him. Besides, he's not my sidekick."

"Oh yeah? Then what is he?"

Deciding to throw the bastard a bone, Tony tells him "What if I told you we were putting a team together?"

"Who's we?"

"I'll tell you, but you have to answer my questions first."

**Meanwhile, at an Unknown Location:**

"Just as predicted, Ross screwed the pooch." Obidiah sneers.

"Yes, but it did make for an entertaining show...plus, we did get something out of it." Baby replies while they walk down the hall of their hideout.

"True." Obidiah admits, as they enter Baby's makeshift med room, where a new guest is waiting.

"Dr. Sterns, I'm glad to see you've made yourself at home." Baby greets.

The man turns to face Baby and Obidiah, and sure enough, even with the changes his head went through from exposure to Bruce's blood, he's still recognizable as Samuel Sterns "Thank you. Though I'm not a big fan of that name anymore."

"Well, what are we supposed to call you then?" Obidiah asks.

"I'll get back to you on that, but first things first, I'd like your assistance in getting my creation back."

"Are you referring to what the headlines are calling the 'Abomination'?" Baby asks.

Sterns scoffs "Yes. Fools can't understand the beauty of it, though I can probably make a better version, I'd like to have the previous versions of my product's outcomes on standby for future reference."

"Does that mean you want Hulk too?" 

"Yes, though he's not as high priority to me."

"Well, it's gonna be tough now that Abomination is in Shield custody." Obidiah explains.

"Don't worry, I'm sure our own green giant and his crew can retrieve your sample, Dr. Sterns." Baby assures as he leads both men to a holding chamber.

He opens the door to it and inside are 5 figures of various sizes "I have a job for you and your gang."

"Are we allowed to kill?" The largest one asks.

"Of course." Baby calmly answers.

"Good. It's been so long...since I snapped someone's neck."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only one more chapter after this one before Endgame comes out.


	20. Parental Concern

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Even though I know where I want this part of the story to go, I still got stuck for a bit.

Chapter 20

* * *

After learning about this 'B' person from Ross in exchange for telling him about the Avengers Initiative to get the General off Bruce's back, Tony was stressed.

He did his best not to let it show and just have fun while he took Bruce, Betty, and the boys sightseeing around New York, but he couldn't help occasionally getting lost in thought about this mystery enemy who seemed to have it out for his boys and somehow had the one thing that could make them vulnerable.

Having some suspicion to where this enemy got their supply, Tony contacted Coulson and asked if SHIELD snuck some S-Suppressor that could of been stolen.

The agent assured him that they didn't and Obidiah's people who made it are all present in their prison.

This news worried Tony even more than a leak in SHIELD could have, and it made him consider benching Gohan from the team until he found 'B' and made sure they wouldn't be a threat anymore. But with the great progress the kid made by sparing Blonsky after he beat him, he worried doing that could break the confidence Gohan was finally starting to build within himself.

Deciding he should ask for Pepper and the others' input before making a call, Tony just pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind for the time being.

After a couple of days of exploring the city, chipping in with the reconstruction of the parts of Harlem messed up by the fight, and Betty taking enough pictures to completely fill her memory card at every major tourist spot they could think of, they all headed back to their hotel to pack up and get ready to go home.

While Goten was napping in the sling and Tony and Gohan were about to go downstairs to check out, Tony asked Gohan "So what did you think of the 'Big Apple' kiddo?" 

"It's great. So many places to explore. And I've never seen so many people before, or such huge buildings." Gohan answers while packing up all the souvenirs they got everybody, he seemed to really get a kick out of the 'I Survived My Trip to New York' t-shirts Tony got for all of them.

"Glad to hear it. Pep and I have been talking about potential spots for the 'Stark Tower', maybe we could build it here. What do you think?"

Gohan nods his approval of that idea "I think that would be awesome."

Tony hefts the sling on his back and chuckles "All right. You ready to head home?"

"Yeah, it's about time I kept my promise to Bruce and Betty. Besides, I can't wait for them to meet mom and the others."

Tony grimaced at the thought of going through Gohan's memory recordings again, but they did give their word. He just hoped that Bruce will be able to keep Hulk contained when they do it.

They meet Bruce and Betty in the lobby, Tony checks them all out, and then they all head to Tony's jet.

The flight to Malibu was much calmer compared to the flight to New York. And after Happy picked them up, they made their way to the Stark family home.

Gohan was in the middle of explaining all the stuff they did to Happy when they arrived.

Seeing the car coming, Pepper comes out to greet them "Welcome back everyone."

"Good to be back Pep." Tony answers as he steps out of the vehicle with Goten in his arms.

As soon as Goten sees Pepper, he starts squirming in Tony's arms and reaching for her "Mama."

Pepper laughs and takes Goten "Hey baby, did you have fun?"

While Goten excitedly mumbles to Pepper, seemingly telling her all about his adventures, everyone else exits the vehicle. 

Tony quickly introduces Bruce and Betty to Pepper and Happy, then they all head inside.

"Hey kiddo? How about you take Goten down to see Dum-E while we fill Pep and Happy in on everything that happened?" Tony suggests to Gohan.

"Dum-Eee!" Goten cheers.

Everyone laughs, Gohan agrees, takes Goten into his arms, and heads down to the lab.

When Gohan is out of earshot, Tony turns to the others "Now that the boys are distracted, there's some stuff I need to tell you all."

Pepper, Happy, Bruce, and Betty's expressions all turn serious, and Pepper asks "What's wrong Tony?"

Tony explains to them about how Ross got his hands on the S-Suppressor and how he knew it could affect Gohan.

Pepper was already worried about this Avengers stuff before all this, but now that worry is in overdrive "So there's this unknown person who goes by the name 'B', that somehow has access to the S-Suppressor we thought we got rid of, and they have it out for our kids. So much so that they'd give it to idiots like General Ross to use on them?" she asks, then remembering Betty is related to him, quickly adds "No offense."

"Don't worry, none taken." Betty assures Pepper, then asks Tony "My dad doesn't have any more of that stuff, does he?"

Tony shrugs and answers "He told me he used all he was given when his crew ambushed us, but he's not exactly trustworthy." Then his expression turns a little dark for a moment "And apologies in advance Betty, but I made it clear to him that if he was lying to me and made another try on the kid, he wouldn't like what would happen next."

"I can't say I'm happy about it, but your just protecting your son, so I understand." 

Tony shoots her a grateful smile "So because of this unfortunate turn of events, I've been considering benching Gohan from these activities until this 'B' is taken down, but I wanted your opinions before coming to a decision."

Tony looks over at Pepper, wanting her to give her thoughts first.

"Well I wanted to respect Gohan's choice, but I didn't think there was something out there that could be this big a threat to him. So if there isn't a way to protect him from future surprise attacks with S-Suppressor, then my vote would be for benching him."

"I do have an idea on how to keep him safe from the S-Suppressor." Tony brings up.

When everyone looks at him expectantly, he continues "I could make him his own suit. That would definitely prevent him from getting gassed or injected, though it could brew up more suspicion about his identity."

Before they can debate the options further, JARVIS interrupts "Apologies everyone, but young sir Gohan is asking if Dr. Banner and Ms. Ross are ready for the explanation he promised."

Everyone pauses and Tony asks "Do you still want to know?"

Bruce and Betty's eyes meet, then they both face Tony and nod.

"All of this strangeness has my curiosity piqued." Bruce tells them, then adds "Plus, if we're gonna be a team someday, I should probably know."

Tony and Betty blink at that last part, and Betty asks "Bruce, are you sure about that?"

"Yeah, if a kid can put aside his fears and learn to control immense power like we have and use it to help others when needed, then I can too."

Tony smirks and Betty hesitates for a moment before telling Bruce "I understand."

With that decided, Tony leads everyone down to the lab.

On the way down, Pepper puts a hand on Betty's shoulder and tells her "I get why your worried, but I can promise you that Tony and Gohan will have Bruce's back no matter what."

Betty smiles and thanks Pepper for the reassurance.

Once they all meet the boys in the lab, Tony quickly tells Bruce and Betty about the B.A.R.F and how they're going to show them Gohan's memory recordings to make the explanations easier.

Happy decides to sit with Goten and Dum-E while the others move to the other end of the lab to watch Gohan's memories.

Gohan warns Bruce and Betty about what they're about to see, but Bruce assures him he'll be able to keep calm.

With everyone ready, Gohan asks JARVIS to start, and they begin to watch.

Even though they were warned about Gohan's brutal past a couple of times, they were still caught off guard several times while they watched it unfold.

A few times it got to the point where Bruce had to take breaks to calm himself after he nearly got overwhelmed with rage at what the boy suffered, but they managed to get through it all without Hulk coming out.

After finally finishing, everyone moved over to the other end of the lab, sat around Goten and Dum-E, and watched the baby and bot play while Bruce and Betty processed everything.

"So...other realities, aliens, and magic that can resurrect the dead....that's..that's a lot to take in." Bruce says after sitting in silence for a few minutes.

Betty huffs an agreement.

"Are you both ok?" Gohan asks.

Bruce and Betty nod and Bruce says "I feel like I should be asking you that. We'll be ok.. just rethinking everything." 

Gohan chuckles a bit, then nervously asks "Now that you've seen everything...do you still trust me to help you and Hulk?"

Bruce is surprisingly quick to answer "Yes."

Gohan is a bit taken aback by Bruce's lack of hesitation "Are you sure?" After watching his younger self go into blind rages so many times, his self confidence is a little shaken.

Bruce smiles "When I woke up after the fight with Blonsky, I couldn't remember much and wanted to know what happened, and as if to answer me, all the memories of it came to me, including the promise you made to Hulk. I think that might have been his way of offering me an olive branch. And that's because he trusted you, so I will too."

Even though he's not completely sure of himself, Gohan reiterates the promise he made Hulk to Bruce "I'll do my best."

At that moment, Goten starts yawning and Pepper asks Gohan to take him up to the boys' room for a nap.

He complies, and once the boys are out of the lab, Pepper asks Bruce and Betty "Now that you've got the full story, what do you think we should do with this whole 'B' situation?"

Bruce thinks about it and just says what's on his mind "None of my doctorates are in psychology, but I definitely understand your concern for his safety. Any good parent would worry, especially with what he's had to go through already. Your first instinct should be to do whatever brings the least amount of risks to him. But on the other hand, ignoring his intelligence and the experience he has in these kinds of matters could also be harmful to him. If you do bench him, it could make him think you don't trust in his abilities, and that can shatter the little bit of self confidence he has."

Betty nods her agreement "I think you should tell Gohan what's going on and see what he thinks."

Happy voices his agreement with Bruce and Betty, and Tony and Pepper decide to talk with Gohan.

They ask Gohan to come back down to the lab, and when he does, Tony tells him everything. 

"A new enemy that somehow has access to S-Suppressor.." Gohan states.

"Yeah, and after some discussion, we decided we should ask you what you think our next move should be." Tony replies before he and Pepper voice their concerns to him.

Gohan is grateful they chose to talk to him about this instead of making a choice for him, and though it took some convincing, Pepper agreed not to have him sit out from the team on the condition that Tony makes him his own suit to ensure protection against potential S-Suppressor attacks.

They all agree and as Tony has JARVIS start working on the design concept for Gohan's suit, the boy decides to ask "Dad, after we finish a suit for me, do you think it would be possible for you to take a few weeks vacation from work?"

"Well, I'd have to work that out with Pep, but maybe. Why?" Tony replies.

"With this new enemy out there, I want to speed up your ki training, and the best way to do that is to take some time to dedicate solely to that." Gohan explains.

Tony looks over to Pepper with a questioning stare.

Pepper sighs, but can't suppress the fond smile that breaks out "You'll have to get a lot of SI's projects you have on the back burner ready to send to R&D before we can afford to do that, but you do have a lot of vacation days saved up, almost as much as I do."

Tony smirks "I can get that done in two weeks flat."

"Great." Gohan replies then turns to Bruce and offers "If your ok with it, we can take that time to start working on strengthening your link with Hulk and building up your own ki."

Bruce agrees, and they all get to work.

**Meanwhile, A Great Distance Away:**

9 months...it's been 9 months since the Son boys vanished without a trace.

Piccolo, Krillin, and Bulma tried using both Earth and Namek's dragon balls to get them back, but neither Shenron or Porunga could reach them.

Not one to be discouraged, Bulma figured if magic couldn't get the job done, then she would use science.

Though she did have some divine help with King Kai, and others who the Kai wouldn't tell her about.

With a lot of work and time, Bulma managed to create a machine to open portals to other dimensions from bits of the time machine Cell used to come here. But without knowing which one the boys ended up in, the search could take an eternity.

But King Kai and his associates were able to sense out Gohan's ki signature from the vast multiverse whenever he powered up so much and were able to narrow the search area a bit more each time they sensed him.

After a lot of waiting, King Kai informed the Z-fighters that they finally had the coordinates Bulma needed to head out to find them.

Everyone was there to wish Bulma, Piccolo, and Krillin good luck with their search as they were about to head off.

"Now King Kai, are you sure the Gohan you and your friends sensed was our Gohan?" Bulma asks.

King Kai's voice echoes in all their heads as he answers "Of course, every universe has a unique energy signature that rubs off on all the inhabitants, this Gohan is definitely the one you all know."

"Well that's enough for me, are you both ready?" Krillin asks.

"Let's hurry and go already." Piccolo replies.

Bulma nods and says "Alright then..let's bring them home." 

"Good luck guys, when you find them, tell Gohan we said hi." Goku requests.

Krillin responds in the affirmative, while Piccolo ignores him and Bulma activates the device.

The portal opens, and the 3 of them step through it before it closes behind them.

They didnt know what to expect the place the boys ended up in to be like, but they're all suprised to see how similar this world is to their Earth.

As they observe the area they ended up in and get their bearings, Piccolo extends his senses in search for Gohan and internally declares 'Don't worry Gohan, I'm coming.'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter before Endgame, I'm excited but also really nervous for it.


	21. Bojack Unbound

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't fit everything I wanted into this chapter without making it too long, so I'll be posting another chapter after this one within the week since I know what all I want to go down with this part of the story.

Chapter 21

* * *

The two weeks Tony gave himself came and went. But like he promised, he got ahead on enough projects to be able to take the time Gohan requested off.

Pepper smoothed it out with the board, and got some time off herself. 

The board members all voiced their displeasure about this impromptu vacation. But with Obidiah gone, they wouldn't dare go against Tony and Pepper now, not with Tony pumping out one successful product after another.

And while Tony and Pepper were taking care of that buissnes, Gohan began his ki instruction with Bruce.

Much like Tony did when he started, Bruce was having a tough time with accessing his internal energy. But he was making some progress on his connection building with Hulk.

With SI buissnes handled, Tony and Pepper began planning where to go for this training vacation.

Considering what Gohan wanted to work on, they decided to head to a private island Tony owned that he frequented in his younger years when he needed to get away from prying eyes.

Once they decided on the location, they quickly packed their bags and Tony had JARVIS make sure their place on the island was fully stocked with the necessities. Then he got a jet fueled and ready for take off.

As the time to head out got closer, Bruce admitted he was hesitant to go with them, not wanting to intrude on a family trip. But once Tony brought out his secret weapon, getting Goten to say "Pwea Bwu?", the man gave in and agreed to come.

Tony tried the same trick with Betty, but she decided to head home to try to work things out with her father, and also to find out if he was hiding any more S-Suppressor. But before she left, she gave Pepper the memory card with all the pictures she took while they were in New York, much to Pepper's delight and Tony's faux annoyance.

Ready to go, Tony called Happy over to drive them to the jet. And once they got there, Tony convinced Happy to come along as well.

The man seemed to have been expecting it, exiting the vehicle with a packed bag of his own.

The flight went by without issuse, and once everyone was settled, Gohan put Tony and Bruce through their paces.

They're a week into Gohan's training regiment. They just finished their meditation, and now they're about to spar.

All 3 of them are currently standing on the large beach near where they were staying. Tony and Bruce are each a few yards away from Gohan with the boy in between them.

"Are you ready?" Gohan asks both men.

Tony raises a hand, giving a thumbs-up "I'm good on this end, how about you Brucie-bear?"

Bruce, still getting used to the gi Gohan made him, a purple overshirt, wristbands, pants, and a green belt, hesitantly waves an arm "As ready as I'll ever be."

Gohan powers up a bit and shouts "Start!"

Tony powers up, a white aura surrounding him, while Bruce lets Hulk out, his gi stretching to accommodate his body's rapid growth.

Hulk roars, then he and Tony charge Gohan at the same time, each pulling back an arm to throw a punch.

When they do, Gohan blocks their fists with his forearms and the force of the attacks kick up a cloud of sand that surrounds them.

Tony closes his eyes to keep sand from getting in them, but the drop in his guard gives Gohan the chance to sweep both his and Hulk's legs out from under them.

Gohan quickly follows with an elbow to Hulk's gut, and a punch to Tony's gut.

The shots send the man and behemoth flying toward oppisite ends of the beach. While Hulk crashes into the ground, Tony manages to stop himself, powers up more, then charges at Gohan again.

Hulk recovers a bit slower than Tony did. By the time he's back on his feet and running toward Gohan again, Tony's swinging a kick at the boy.

Gohan dodges by dropping to the ground on his back, bracing himself on his arms, then aims a kick at Tony's gut, shooting him up in the air.

Hulk closes the distance between himself and Gohan in one jump, clasping his hands together to slam down on him from above.

Gohan flash steps out of the way, and after Hulk lands on the ground, Gohan forms a ki sphere in his hand and fires it at Hulk's back.

The blast connects and sends Hulk flying a few yards before it explodes.

At the moment it does, Gohan senses a wave of Tony's ki coming at him from above. He looks up and sees a barrage of ki blasts hurtling at him.

A small smirk forms on Gohan's face as he's deflecting the blasts.

As the last of the blasts are redirected, Gohan's shocked to sense Tony above him one second, then right beside him the next.

The surprise that Tony was able to flash step delays Gohan's reaction time enough for Tony to tag him with a tap on the shoulder.

"Gotcha kiddo." Tony says, trying to catch his breath while sporting a bright, cocky smile.

Gohan chuckles "You did. That flash step caught me completely off guard. When did you get that one down?"

Before Tony can answer, Hulk's roar gets his and Gohan's attention. The giant jumps at them, yelling "HULK SMASH!"

Gohan grabs Tony by the arm and flash steps out of Hulk's way.

As Hulk crashes into the ground again, Tony laughs and answers "I've been practicing as much as I could. Best way to avoid getting smashed if Hulk gets a little too into a fight."

"Good thinking." Gohan tells Tony before asking "Do you want to tap out while I go another round with Hulk?"

Tony lets out a breath and moves to sit down "Yeah. First time I've used that much ki, wore myself out. I'm gonna have to work on moderating my Ki expense."

Gohan nods, but tells him "Don't worry too much about it, your making amazing progress." letting Tony know he's proud.

Tony smirks "Thanks squirt. I'm good here, go give our jolly green giant a good workout."

Gohan laughs and takes off to do just that.

Tony just sits and watches them go at it for about 10 minutes, when he feels a small hand tapping on his back "Dada!" 

Tony turns and sees Goten staring up at him, with a big smile and wearing a little tank top and swim trunks.

"Hey monkey. What are you up to?" 

Goten plops down next to Tony and starts grabbing fistfuls of sand and watching it slip through his fingers.

Goten giggles and continues pawing at the sand.

Tony chuckles and ruffles Goten's hair, then notices Pepper and Happy approaching, each with their own swimwear on.

"You guys get bored of scrapbooking?" Tony teases, knowing Pepper had Happy help her with printing out all the pictures Betty took in New York, and sorting them out in albums.

Happy aims a glare at his boss, while Pepper laughs and lays out a towel to sit on.

Before either of them can give Tony a response, an explosion catches their attention.

Everyone turns to watch Gohan wearing Hulk down.

Goten points at the sparring session "Bubba an Huk pwayin!"

Tony laughs "I guess you can call it that monkey."

Pepper tells Tony "How about you get them to take a break? You guys have been working pretty hard lately. We were thinking about teaching Goten how to make sandcastles, I figured you and Gohan would want in on that. And maybe one of you can convince Bruce to join too."

Tony smirks, stands, and brushes the sand off his gi "Sure, be back in a flash." 

Pepper and Happy both jump and gasp as Tony is next to them one second, then over near Gohan and Hulk the next.

Gohan notices Tony's approach, and stops Hulk's attack "Timeout, Hulk."

Hulk growls at the interruption, but stops when Tony appears next to them.

"Hey boys, Pep wants to know if you would like to take a break to do some sandcastle building with Goten." 

Gohan smiles and nods "That sounds fun, ready for a break Hulk?"

Hulk shakes his head "More!"

Gohan raises his hands "I promise we'll go again later, ok?"

Hulk grunts, but before he can protest again, Tony flash steps back over to the others, then flash steps back to Gohan and Hulk with Goten in his arms "Ok monkey, work your magic."

Goten giggles, then looks up at Hulk "Pwea Huk?"

Hulk looks Goten in the eyes, huffs in resignation, then starts reverting back to Bruce.

Bruce groans and rubs his head "Ugh, are we done for now?"

Tony nods "Yep, workout time over. Now it's sandcastle time." 

Bruce raises an eyebrow, then shrugs "Ok."

"Excellent, let's go. We need to get changed." Tony exclaims, hands Goten to Gohan, then grabs Bruce by the arm and flash steps to the house.

Gohan chuckles at Tony's antics "That's one way to get the hang of it I guess."

Taking a page from Tony's book, Gohan flash steps over to Pepper and Happy, leaves Goten with them, then goes to follow Tony and Bruce to get changed as well, content to enjoy the rest of his day with his family.

**Meanwhile at a Secret Arctic SHIELD Prison:**

Coulson walks through the bleak hallway, past the several guards and stops at the cell holding this facility's one prisoner.

Emil Blonsky, aka Abomination was rather subdued lately. He was no longer rampaging about, seemingly accepting that he can't break out of here.

The beast notices Coulson staring at him and roars at the man.

"Keep it down Frankenstein!" a familiar voice shouts at the creature from beside Coulson.

Not reacting at all to the sudden appearance of a presence beside him, Coulson turns his head and greets the man "Hello Barton, what brings you here?"

Barton smirks and answers "Same as you I'm guessing. Heard we had Hulk's inbred cousin, wanted to see for myself."

Coulson lightly smiles back "Well as you can see, the rumors are true."

Barton chuckles, but before he can respond, an alarm starts blaring and an agent rushes to their side "Agent Coulson! Agent Barton! There are 5 intruders approaching the facility!"

Coulson loses his smile, but Barton just raises an eyebrow, seemingly intrigued.

They both follow the agent outside as other agents are also gathering and see 5 figures of varying heights approaching.

Coulson slips a hand into his pocket and grabs his phone and pulls it out, hiding it behind his back.

Barton pulls out a small, black, staff like object from behind his back and it folds out into a bow. He grabs an arrow from the quill strapped to his back and gets it ready to fire while other agents aim their guns at the group.

When the figures get close enough to clearly make them out, the agents are surprised to see 5 bluish-green skinned people, 4 male, 1 female, with orange hair, and that give Coulson a certain weariness that he's only felt once before, when he saw the monsters Gohan faced off against in the boy's memory recordings.

Coulson pushes a button on his phone that Tony insisted on installing, telling him "If something major comes up that you need our help with Agent, just push this, and it'll alert JARVIS."

After pushing the button, Coulson calls out to the what he assumed were aliens "This is a restricted area. Do you folks need something?"

The biggest one with a bandana and blue jacket chuckles and gestures to the small one in a turban and red jacket "Bujin."

The small one, 'Bujin', takes a few steps forward and explains "My master Bojack, and us, his loyal servants have come to collect the creature you call 'Abomination'. If you don't resist, your lives may be spared."

The biggest one, 'Bojack', the other two men, and the woman laugh at the last part of that statement.

Before Coulson can respond, Barton exclaims "Sorry to break it to you, but the closest you guys are gonna get to him is in neighboring cells!"

"Clint, don't-" Coulson tries to warn, but Barton fires the arrow before he can finish.

Bujin catches it between two fingers, shocking all of the agents except Coulson.

Even though Clint didn't expect the arrow to be caught, he smirks as the arrow explodes "Gotcha."

Coulson grabs Clint by the shoulder and tells him "Trust me, you didn't." then commands all the other agents "Get inside now!"

Unfortunately the agents are too distracted watching the smoke fade, and when it does, the 5 invaders are still in the same spots without a scratch.

Bojack laughs then tells his crew "Bido, Kogu, Zangya, Bujin, go have your fun while I wait for our saiyan 'savior' that little silver guy said is on this planet."

The 4 called bow to Bojack, then each turn to the crowd of agents, all raise one hand, and fire ki blasts at them.

Coulson drags Clint and another agent he grabs with his free hand into the facility as quickly as he can as the blasts hit their targets.

**Back at the Stark Family Vacation Home:**

After helping Goten build, in Tony's 'humble' opinion, an amazing sandcastle, Everyone headed back into the house to relax a bit before having another sparring session.

Bruce was standing near the kitchen counter, drinking a cup of tea. Tony and Pepper were sat on a couch with Gohan playing with Goten on the floor in front of them while Happy was napping on a nearby recliner.

Everyone was enjoying the peace, until JARVIS suddenly informs them "Sir, young sir Gohan, Agent Coulson has activated the emergency beacon Sir installed into his phone."

Happy startles awake when JARVIS speaks, and Tony, Pepper, Gohan, and Bruce tense up.

Tony nearly jumps to his feet, Gohan quickly following "Can you give us any info on what's going down J?"

A screen appears in the middle of the room, showing footage of 5 strange intruders at whatever SHIELD facility Coulson was currently at "I accessed the surveillance system of the facility Agent Coulson is currently located, showing these 5 peculiar individuals nonchalantly approaching it."

They all watch the footage, and are surprised when the small figure takes a few steps ahead of the rest and tells Coulson what they were there for.

Bruce wonders aloud "Who are these people? Why do they want Blonsky? And how did they even know where he was?"

Before anyone can offer any speculation, they see an arrow launched at the group that explodes shortly after its caught in hand of the smallest intruder.

Tony is about to make a joke about the trigger happy Robin-hood, but stops as they see the smoke clear, revealing the group of invaders completely unharmed.

Gohan gets a grim look on his face and starts extending his senses. For a moment he thinks he senses two very familiar presences, but before he can focus on it, they're overshadowed by the 5 dark ones that are presumably attacking the facility Coulson is at.

When Gohan assesses how strong they are, he can tell 4 are definitely tough, but are nothing compared to the last 1.

Gohan shudders and staggers back a step.

Goten looks up at his brother, stares for a few moments, gets a look of concentration that's very strange on a toddler, and then starts crying.

Tony places a hand on Gohan's shoulder to steady him while Pepper pulls Goten into her arms and tries to comfort the baby.

"Kiddo, what's up?" Tony asks.

"These guys are strong, really strong. That big one in charge is at least as strong as Cell, if not stronger."

Tony, Pepper, Happy, and Bruce all go a little pale at that thought.

"I need to go, now." Gohan declares, then quickly starts heading to the door. But Tony rushes to get in front of him "Woah, woah, bucko. Hold your horses, your not going alone."

Gohan tries to step around Tony, but the man keeps cutting him off "Dad, you need to leave this to me."

Tony puts his hands on Gohan's shoulders "Sorry squirt, but that violates our agreement. I'm going with you."

Gohan shakes his head "No way! These guys are too dangerous. And the more time we waste arguing, the more likely Mr. Coulson and all those other agents there will be dead before I can get to them."

Tony shakes his head "Kiddo, your not going without me, so you're right. The quicker we stop bickering and leave, the better chance we have to save Agent, and all the other SHIELD people there."

Gohan wants to protest, even briefly considers knocking Tony out so he can go. But he knows his dad would just come after him as soon as he woke up. The boy sighs in resignation and nods "Ok, we need to go now." 

Tony smirks "Alright, time to suit up." Then looks over Gohan at Bruce "You coming, Brucie-bear?"

Bruce resists the urge to roll his eyes at the nickname "Yeah, what better first outing for the team than this?"

Tony raises a finger "Alright, wait hear a sec." Then before waiting for a response, he dashes to the lab, and comes back with some capsules in hand "Really wish I could thank the Breif family for these little gems, so many applications."

He activates the capsules and out of them comes Tony's suit and another suit that looks nearly identical to the gi Gohan wore during his rescue of Tony and during his first encounter with Hulk.

Gohan is somehow surprised and not surprised at the same time "How did you find time to make this?"

Tony smirks "Turns out I didn't need 2 weeks to finish all those projects, so I spent the rest of that time working on this."

Gohan chuckles "I should of guessed as much."

Tony suits up then gestures to Gohan's armor "Ready for a test run?"

Gohan nods but before putting on the armor, he quickly changes into the gi Tony based this suit on. He then approaches the armor, and once he gets close enough, it opens up, and he steps in it.

It closes around him, but instead of a helmet like Tony's coming up around his head, a new visor and mask come up instead.

Gohan looks to Tony "No helmet?"

Tony raises his faceplate, revealing another smirk "Well I know you grew fond of the visor mask combo, I just made sure it kept you from being gassed again." Then he points to Gohan's hair "Plus, you would have the worst helmet hair."

That gets a little laugh out of Gohan before he gets serious again "Bruce, do you think you can handle a fast flight as is, or do you want to swap with Hulk first?"

"It's probably better if I let him out now. He can definitely handle the speed your gonna need to go." Bruce replies.

As Bruce goes to change into his gi again, Pepper and Happy walk over to Tony and Gohan with Goten sniffling in Pepper's arms "I know I can't talk you 2 out of this, so just please be careful. Make sure you all come back."

Gohan retracts the visor and mask "I promise we'll be back."

Tony closes the distance between him and Pepper, assures her "Yeah Pep, we got this." and plants a kiss on her cheek.

Then he crouches down a bit to Goten's eye level.

The boy still has a few tears threatening to spill, so Tony tells him "Turn that frown upside down monkey. We'll be back before you know it." Then gives him a quick peck on the forehead.

Goten giggles a bit then flashes a small smile.

Tony backs up and looks at Happy and asks "Would you like a goodbye kiss too buddy?"

While Happy declines Tony's offer, Gohan gives Pepper and Goten a hug and promises again "We will be back."

Pepper nods "I know."

Bruce comes back dressed in his gi "Ready when you are."

Tony slides the face plate back down "Let's head out and take off."

Gohan's puts the visor mask back on and they all exit the house.

Pepper and Happy wish them luck, Bruce lets Hulk out, and grabs Gohan's arm. Tony places a hand on Gohan's shoulder and magnetically locks it in place, then he and Gohan take off.

Gohan follows the sinister ki signatures as fast as he can, and within minutes, He, Tony, and Hulk arrive at the SHIELD facility.

Gohan let's Hulk down and Tony frees his hand from Gohan's shoulder.

They stare at the ruins of the building, rubble, flames, and some agents bodies are strewn about.

As they approach the toppled building, Gohan warns Tony and Hulk "Keep your senses sharp, these guys are dangerous."

Before either can respond, the five intruders appear before them.

Hulk snarls and attempts to charge them, but stops when Gohan raises his arm in front of him.

"Why have you come to this planet?" Gohan asks them.

The largest one they heard addressed as Bojack in the footage JARVIS showed them takes a few steps forward while the others all laugh "So the saiyan boy has finally arrived."

Gohan manages to not outwardly react to them knowing him, and he just repeats the question "Why are you on this planet?"

Bojack smirks "Well we didn't really choose to come to this world. We actually have you to thank for our presence here. Or should I say you and Goku are to blame."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Endgame made me laugh, defied my expectations, broke my heart, and pissed me off. I won't go into specifics to avoid spoilers, but since it's been nearly 2 weeks since it came out, I'm guessing everyone who reads this has already seen it and know what I'm talking about. When I get to that point in this story, I'll be doing things a lot differently.


	22. Bojack Unbound part 2

Chapter 22

* * *

Gohan is taken aback by the mention of his biological father's name, but he doesn't let it show and asks Bojack "What do you mean? How could he and I have brought you here?"

Bojack chuckles and explains "You see, a long time ago, my crew and I roamed the universe doing as we pleased. But the being you know as 'King Kai' and his bothersome comrades interfered with us, which resulted in us being sealed inside King Kai's planet."

Gohan and Tony connect the rest of the dots and a pit starts forming in the boy's gut when he figures out where this story is heading.

Bojack seems to notice Gohan's unease and smiles "That's right, thanks to your failure in the battle with that creature Cell, your father brought him to our prison and destroyed it, inadvertently setting us free. We decided to come to thank you for our rescue, then send you to Goku to give him our thanks in our place."

That not so vauge threat pisses Tony off and he impulsively fires a repulsor blast at Bojack.

Bojack easily deflects the blast and laughs "Eager to begin I see." 

He then raises an arm, his 4 servants flash step and surround Gohan, Tony, and Hulk.

Gohan quickly extends his senses in search of survivors. And after finding some holed up in the building, he formulates a plan, telepathically connects to Tony and Hulk, and tells them 'Dad, I still sense Mr. Coulson and some others inside the building. When you get an opening, I want you to go evacuate them. Get them as far way from here as you can. Hulk and I will keep Bojack and his minions busy.'

Tony hates the thought of leaving Gohan and Hulk to face these monsters alone, but he decides to follow Gohan's lead with this 'Alright kiddo, I'll be back as fast as I can.'

'I know you will.' Gohan answers back, then asks 'Are you both ready?'

Tony answers 'Yep.' while Hulk roars aloud.

Gohan locks eyes with Bojack and his servants and camly says "Let's go."

Thin beams of gold energy start rising around Gohan as he goes Super Saiyan.

Zangya and Bido charge Gohan. He quickly jumps backward and elbows Bujin in the face then blasts up into the air.

Bujin recovers fast, and chases after Gohan, followed by Zangya and Bido.

Tony moves to go back Gohan up, but Kogu blocks his path and draws his sword "You have no idea who you're trifling with."

Hulk growls, and Tony quips "Some roid raging leprechauns, I don't care. Now get out of the way."

Bojack moves a few feet up in the air and tells his servant "Kogu, deal with them however you like, I'm going to observe the saiyan boy's skills." Then blasts off without waiting for a response.

Kogu glares at Tony and charges both him and Hulk.

Tony powers up as high as he can, knowing that even with Hulk and him working together, this guy is still stronger than them.

Kogu swings his sword at Tony, but he flash steps out of the way and Hulk catches the blade with one hand.

Hulk is able to snap the blade in half before Kogu can retrieve it, but it leaves a deep gash in his palm.

As Kogu is tossing his broken sword aside, Tony nails him in the side with a full power kick.

Since his guard wasn't up, the blow sends Kogu flying, and Tony wants to use the opportunity to go back up Gohan, but he knows that he would more than likely get in the boy's way. So he decides to follow Gohan's plan and asks Hulk "I've got to go check on Agent and the other SHIELD people. Can you hold him off til I get back?"

Hulk stares at the cut on his hand, then looks up at Tony, huffs, and replies "Hulk Smash!"

Tony gives him a thumbs up "Give him hell buddy."

Hulk roars and dashes off in Kogu's direction while Tony flies toward what was left of the facility.

Tony blasts away some rubble and heads where JARVIS locates a group of heat signatures. When he reaches them, he spots Coulson and the archer with the itchy trigger finger and approaches them "Hey Agent, everybody hanging in there?"

Coulson smirks, relieved for the cavalry "Barely, but yeah."

Tony looks over all the agents, taking stock of who can move on their own and who'll need to be carried out "Things are a bit wild out there, so we're gonna need to put some distance between us and here while Hulk and the kid hold those guys off."

Coulson nods his agreement, while Clint speaks up "They managed to take Abomination out of here without breaking a sweat, so I doubt Hulk will make much difference. Are we really gonna leave all this to just the superboy?

Tony has JARVIS search through the building's layout to find another exit or somewhere they can make another exit without going back out to the battlefield "Well, I plan on heading back out there once we get you guys a safe distance away, but for the most part, yep. The kid is the only one of us here on their level."

JARVIS alerts Tony to a path they can take out of here and maps it out on a small screen on his HUD.

Tony turns to the small crowd of agents and addresses them "Ok ladies and gents, everyone who can stand on their own 2 feet need to assist the ones that can't and follow me."

The agents all look to Coulson and he tells them "You heard the man, let's move out." 

After Tony evacuates everyone from the remains of the facility and gets them some distance away from the battle, he turns to Coulson and asks "Agent, can you lead your SHIELD-lings to safety? I need to get back."

Knowing Tony is worried about his son, Coulson puts a hand on his shoulder and replies "Yeah, we've got an emergency shelter near by. I can take it from here. Thanks for the help Tony."

Tony nods to Coulson and is about to head back to the fight, when Clint asks him "Stark, how about you give me a lift?"

Tony turns to Clint "You want to tag along? You sure about that? No offense, but I doubt there's gonna be much if anything you can do to help."

Clint smirks and asks "Would you let that hold you back?"

Tony huffs in amusement and replies "Fair enough." walks over to Clint and grabs hold of the quill on his back and playfully warns him "Better clench up Legolas." before blasting off toward the battlefield.

Coulson quietly wishes them luck, then starts leading the agents to the shelter.

**Meanwhile, with Hulk:**

Hulk charges after Kogu, taking massive leaps to close the distance between them before he can recover, but Kogu gets back on his feet and is extremely angry. His ego bruised from not seeing that kick coming. So once he spots Hulk approaching, he decides he's not gonna play around anymore.

His earrings and necklace begin to glow and his body suddenly bulks up, destroying his black jacket, revealing a red sash. His size almost matching Hulk's, and his skin changing from a dark bluish-green to a light shade of green.

Hulk momentarily hesitates, surprised by the transformation, leaving himself wide open.

Kogu flash steps to Hulk, drives his fist into his gut, and shoots him into the air.

He lets Hulk get high up, before flash stepping behind him and driving a kick into Hulk's back.

Hulk slams into the ground, shattering the ice around him and forming a deep crater.

Somehow still conscious, Hulk stares up at Kogu as he lands at the edge of the crater. He faintly hears Bruce calling him in the back of his mind 'Hulk, you have to keep going.'

Hulk huffs in annoyance and tries to stand.

Kogu smirks down at Hulk and tells him "I'm impressed you survived that, but this is over."

He aim his hand in Hulk's direction, and starts charging an energy blast "I'm going to destroy you, then that wretch in the armor. And then I'm going to help Master Bojack kill that saiyan brat."

After hearing that threat to their friends, Hulk and Bruce both feel rage building within them.

Hulk howls and a dark green aura bursts out from within him.

The ground around them starts violently shaking as Hulk's aura grows larger and larger, ki beginning to gather in his hands.

Kogu blinks at the outburst of power, but dismisses it and launches his blast "Die!"

Hulk brings his hands together in front of him and a large beam of green energy shoots out at Kogu from them.

The beams collide and both Hulk and Kogu put more and more power in, each trying to overcome the other.

At first it looks like Hulk is winning out, but slowly, Kogu is gaining ground.

'Come on Hulk! If we screw this up, Tony, Gohan, and who knows how many others are going to die, hang in there!' Bruce shouts in Hulk's mind.

Hulk pours more and more into the blast, but it doesn't push Kogu back much.

Kogu's laughing, knowing he has this won. But as he's about to finish it, a large blast hits him square in the back.

He and Hulk look up in the air behind him and spot Tony.

"Hulk! End it now!" Tony shouts.

Hulk puts every ounce of energy he has left into his attack, and with Tony's distraction, it's just enough to overcome Kogu.

The blast completely envelops Kogu, his screams of disbelief slowly fade as the energy beam disappears in the sky.

Tony flies down next to Hulk and claps him on the back "Good work buddy, you did it."

Hulk smirks down at Tony, then promptly falls forward and faceplants the ground.

Tony gets down on his knees and turns Hulk's head to the side "Shit! Are you ok man?"

Hulk is out cold, and slowly shifts back to Bruce.

Tony flips Bruce face up and tries to wake him "Bruce, Bruce! Come on Brucie-bear, snap out of it."

Seeing that Bruce is gonna be out for a while, Tony moves one of his arms over his shoulder and hefts him up, planning to take him to Coulson, but stops when he spots an unwelcome face standing at the edge of the crater "No way."

Kogu's expression is one of absolute fury. He's back in his first form, covered in bruises and blood, his headband and sash gone.

"You miserable curs! How dare you humiliate me like this!" Kogu snarls through gritted teeth. 

He raises a hand and starts charging another ki blast "This time I'll reduce you to ashes!"

Tony takes off, hoping Kogu is to damaged to chase after him and Bruce.

"You're not going to get away!" Kogu yells as he aims at Tony.

Kogu fires, and the blast starts to follow Tony, even while he zigzags around the sky trying to dodge it.

Before Kogu's blast can hit them though, another blast, seemingly out of nowhere, collides with it and it explodes.

The shockwave sends Tony spiraling out of the sky, but he manages to right himself before crashing.

He lays Bruce on the ground and starts searching for where that second shot came from while Kogu shouts out "Who dares to interfere with me!?"

Almost immediately after Kogu asks that, he and Tony both hear a voice that Tony's certain he knows but can't place.

" **Destrucro Disk**!"

A giant, yellow, buzz saw like, disk of energy comes flying at Kogu from behind him at a high speed.

Kogu is so banged up from Hulk's blast, that he can only turn around and scream before the energy disk cuts into him diagonally, severing his right arm by the shoulder and completely separating the rest of his upper torso from the lower half of his body.

"What the hell!?" Tony exclaims as Kogu's body falls to the ground in pieces.

He lifts Bruce back up and flies over to the body and stares at it in shock "JARVIS, check his vitals."

JARVIS quickly scans the body and informs Tony "There is no heartbeat or brain activity. He is dead without a doubt sir."

Tony breaths a sigh of relief, then looks around for whoever did this.

"Hey! Are you and your friend ok?" The same voice from earlier calls out.

Tony looks to his side, sees and identifies the small figure approaching him. "Impossible.."

When he gets close enough, Tony calls him by name "Krillin."

**Meanwhile, with Gohan:**

Gohan goes fairly high in the air to keep the others as far from this battle as he can.

When he stops, Bido throws a punch at him.

Gohan dodges it, grabs him by the arm and tosses him back down at his comrades.

Bido stops himself in the air and Zangya charges at Gohan alone.

He cups his hands together and fires a blast at her.

Zangya deflects it, and Bido fires a barrage of small, red, blasts at Gohan from behind her.

He deflects the blasts, but then gets charged by Bujin, Bido, and Zangya all at once.

They send him crashing through a nearby hill, but he quickly regains his footing on another one and waits for their next attack.

Zangya and Bujin land on opposite sides of Gohan, they stand still for a moment, then go on the offensive.

Gohan is using his left arm and leg to block Bujin's strikes and blocking Zangya's with his right arm and leg, while Bido circles the air around them.

Gohan's able to keep this up for a little while, but Zangya manages to knee him in the gut, which Bujin immediately follows with slamming Gohan downward with both arms.

Gohan crashes through the hill, but he manages to hit the ground on his feet.

He's looking around, waiting for the next attack, when Bido pops out from under the ground right next to him.

He swings a kick at Gohan, but he blocks with an arm and counters with a punch.

When the punch sends Bido flying, Bujin strikes Gohan in the gut. He takes the blow, then knocks Bujin out of the way with a swipe of his arm, then blocks another attack from Zangya before jumping away to try and get some distance.

While his opponents give chase, Bojack lands nearby and watches "Impressive, his level of skill is even more advanced than I'd hoped. This should be fun." 

Zangya tries to get close to Gohan, and when he moves to keep some distance from her, Bujin dive kicks Gohan from behind, and Zangya kicks him to the ground, which Bido follows by throwing an energy blast at him, engulfing the area with a bright red light.

As the 3 land next to Bojack, Gohan pulls himself out of the ground and locks eyes with them.

Bujin, Bido, and Zangya each point a finger at Gohan and fire energy beams at him.

All 3 shots hit and send Gohan crashing across the ground. He comes to a stop when his back slams into a wall of ice.

Gohan manages to stand back up, but then they start firing small shots at him that detonate right next to him.

The shockwaves knock him around a bit before he falls to his knees.

"Great." He says in irritation before falling out of Super Saiyan.

Bojack then goes for the kill and throws a giant energy blast at Gohan.

Gohan closes his eyes, crosses his arms in front of himself and braces for the hit 'At times like this, Piccolo would usually show up and save me.'

Before the blast can hit him, a spiral, yellow, energy beam hits Bojack's blast, and shoots it into another direction. 

Bojack loses his smile and looks into the distance behind himself.

When the attack doesn't hit him, Gohan opens his eyes, looks in the direction Bojack is staring, and spots someone he never thought he'd see again.

He retracts his visor mask, looks up at Piccolo with a few tears threatening to spill, and greets his old friend "Am I glad to see you!"

Piccolo smirks down at Gohan, then locks eyes with Bojack "Looks like you found a good fight, mind if I cut in?"

Piccolo removes his cape and turban, then charges Bojack.

Bojack smiles and dodges Piccolo's first punch, knees him in the gut, and punches him, but Piccolo lands a kick on the side of Bojack's head and sends him flying.

As Gohan watches on, he hears some voices calling to him "Gohan, are you ok?"

Gohan turns and sees Tony and Krillin flying towards him.

The tears that were building up slip down his face as he rushes over to meet them.

"Krillin!" Gohan shouts in excitement as he tackles the man in a hug, knocking him to the ground.

"Woah, Gohan!" Krillin says as he falls, a bit surprised by his friend's reaction.

Gohan tearfully laughs while getting up and helping Krillin to his feet "I'm sorry. I..I just thought I'd never see you guys again. How are you even here?"

Krillin puts a hand on Gohan's shoulder and explains what he'd just told Tony while they were dropping Bruce off with Clint "Well after Shenron and Porunga said they couldn't get you and Goten back, Bulma tinkered around with parts of the leftover time machine Cell came in, and built some interdimensional portal opener, and with the help of King Kai and some of his Kai buddies, got the coordinates to where you boys ended up. We came here as soon as she got it working. Though i gotta admit, we weren't expecting this kinda trouble when we came here."

Gohan hugs Krillin again and laughs "That's amazing! You have no idea how happy I am to see you guys. Who else came?"

Before Krillin can answer that, Everyone senses Bojack overwhelming Piccolo.

Bojack fires a giant blast at Piccolo and he tries to push it back, but even with both hands, he can't deflect it before it explodes, sending him hurtling out of the air.

Gohan sees Piccolo falling, and flies up to catch him "Piccolo!"

Gohan goes a fast as he can given his current condition, but just when it looked like Bojack was gonna deliver a finishing blow before he could get to him, another blast from Gohan's past appears between Bojack and Piccolo, this one even more surprising to see than the others.

Gohan catches Piccolo and looks up at the new arrival "Trunks!"

Trunks, already in Super Saiyan form, doesn't reply to Gohan and declares to Bojack "You will not take this planet!" Then fires a barrage of blasts at him.

A green barrier forms around Bojack, blocking all of Trunks' blasts.

When Bojack lowers his barrier, Trunks charges him. But before he can close in, he gets caught in what looks like a light, purple, energy net.

It stops Trunks in his tracks, then seemingly turns invisible, while strings connecting to Bujin's fingers are occasionally caught in the light.

Bujin chuckles while Trunks struggles to free himself, the strain forcing him out of Super Saiyan.

Bido tosses a jagged spear of stone at Trunks, but before it can impale him, something hits it, knocking it out of Trunks' path while his sword is tossed to him, cutting through the strings and freeing him.

Trunks catches his sword and sheath while the ground under Bujin and Bido erupts with a burst of blue light.

Trunks sheaths his sword, straps it to his back, and calls out "Father!"

Vegeta slowly ascends from the rubble, going Super Saiyan and clearing the smoke around him as he tells Trunks "Leave him to me."

He flies up between Trunks and Bojack, while the latter chuckles.

Gohan takes Piccolo to Tony and Krillin as he watches the other Saiyans "Trunks...and Vegeta too."

While Vegeta and Bojack start throwing blasts at each other and moving away, Krillin fills Gohan in "Yeah, at first it was just me, Piccolo, and Bulma who came. But once we felt these guys, Bulma went back to get some backup."

Gohan smiles in relief, before looking back down at Piccolo and asking Krillin "Did you bring any senzu beans?"

Krillin frowns and shakes his head "I wish. Korin and Yadjirobe took a bit of a break after Cell, and didn't have any we could use by the time we needed to go."

"If they had had any, I would have given one to Bruce. He and Hulk took a pretty bad beating." Tony adds.

Before Gohan can worry too much about Bruce, Tony assures him he's ok and is as safe as he can be given the situation.

Gohan nods in understanding, leaves Piccolo with Tony and Krillin, and takes off to help his fellow Saiyans.

Vegeta isn't able to hold Bojack off for long.

Trunks tries to assist but, Bujin and Zangya get between them.

Vegeta notices his attempt, and yells at him "Trunks stay back!"

The distraction gives Bojack an opening to slug Vegeta right in the face, launching him in the air.

He follows with a powerful kick to Vegeta's side and sends him flying.

Trunks catches him and tries to reason with him "Father let me help you, you're not strong enough. "

Vegeta elbows Trunks in the gut and growls "Don't make me tell you twice." Before taking off after Bojack.

Despite Vegeta's bravado, it isn't long before he finds himself outmatched. Bojack deals several devastating blows to him, punching him in the gut and elbowing him in the chest, knocking him out of Super Saiyan.

He then transforms like Kogu did, destroying his bandana and jacket while his body bulks out, growing bigger than even Hulk, and his skin changing from bluish-green to a light green.

Trunks tries to get to Vegeta, but Bujin catches him in another energy net while Zangya pounds on him.

And when Gohan tries to help Vegeta, Bido cuts him off and cackles "What's your hurry, little boy?"

Bojack fires a few blasts down at Vegeta, taking him out of the fight, then going over to where Zangya is beating on a paralyzed Trunks.

Bojack comes from behind Trunks and drives a blast into his gut, shooting him toward the ground.

Trunks crashes, falls out of Super Saiyan, and loses consciousness.

As Bojack lands near Trunks, Gohan goes Super Saiyan again and charges him.

Gohan throws a punch, but Bojack quickly disappears from sight, then reappears behind Gohan, grabbing him by the foot and tossing him in the air.

**Meanwhile, with Tony, Krillin, and Piccolo:**

Tony and Krillin watch and listen to Gohan and Bojack quickly trading blows all over the area.

"We have to do something!" Tony shouts, getting ready to take off.

Krillin grabs Tony by the arm and tells him "I know how frustrating this is, but we'd only get in the way, and you know it. We just need to wait for Gohan to tap into the power he used when he beat Cell!"

Tony yanks his arm from Krillin's grip "Screw that! I'm not letting my kid do this alone anymore!"

Krillin is about to protest again, but Tony cuts him off "Save it man! I'm going to help him, and I have a plan."

Before Krillin can ask what Tony's plan is, Tony asks JARVIS "J, can you get ahold of Barton?"

"Certainly sir." JARVIS replies, as he connects Tony to Clint.

"Stark, what's up?" Clint asks.

"We don't got alot of time Robin Hood, so listen up." Tony tells him before filling him in on the situation and explaining his plan while Krillin listens from beside him.

Once Clint confirms he's on his way, Tony cuts off the comm, turns to Krillin and asks "I could really use your help with this, are you in?"

After hearing how Tony thinks the battle will play out, Krillin considers it for a moment before answering "I'm in, it could be our only chance to give Gohan the time he'll need."

Tony nods, opens his armor up, steps out of it, and gives JARVIS full control of it "Ok J, go get Barton in position and signal when you're ready."

The armor closes back up, then nods "Of course sir." Before taking off to retrieve Clint.

As Tony and Krillin are about to head out as well, Piccolo gets their attention "Wait."

They both turn to him and Tony tells him "We dont have time, we gotta go."

Piccolo grabs Tony and Krillin by their arms "I know, don't worry, this won't take long."

Before either can ask what he means by that, they can feel Piccolo dividing his energy, and giving it to them.

Once finished, Piccolo falls back to the ground, completely spent "That should help you not get killed while you try out this ridiculous plan of yours."

Tony is nearly overwhelmed by the sheer amount of access power, but he manages to reign it in "Thanks for the boost pal, but we've really got to go now."

Krillin thanks Piccolo as well, before he and Tony blast off.

**Meanwhile, with Gohan:**

After going blow for blow against Bojack's new form, Gohan realizes he's going to need to go Super Saiyan 2 to beat him.

He's worried about going berserk again, but reminds himself that he stayed in control against Blonsky, so he knows he can keep himself in check again.

He tries to get some distance to power up, but Bojack launches a blast at him before he can.

Gohan deflects it, but Bojack uses the opening to flash step right in front of him and punches him toward the ground.

Gohan lands on his feet and bounces back, when Bujin, Bido and Zangya start launching those energy nets at Gohan.

He does his best to avoid them, but can't keep himself from being caught.

As Gohan tries to get free, Bujin boasts "I just love a captive audience, and you're not going anywhere thanks to our barrier. The more you struggle, the more energy it drains from your body until you pass out or die."

Bujin chuckles as Gohan still continues to struggle, but it isn't long before he falls out of Super Saiyan and passes out.

The 'barrier' as Bujin called it, holds Gohan in place as Bojack approaches him.

"Now, give your father a message for me." Bojack tells Gohan before he begins wailing on him.

Gohan grunts in pain and spits up some blood as Bojack continues his onslaught, but a decent distance away, JARVIS gives Tony the signal and he tells the A.I to go.

The Ironman armor blasts off, firing repulsor blasts at Bojack and his minions as it closes in.

JARVIS pilots the armor straight into Bujin, Bido, and Zangya, forcing them to release their barrier and freeing Gohan before flying upward.

Angered at being inturupted, Bojack fires a giant blast at the armor and sends it crashing into the ground.

Thinking that Tony was in the suit, Gohan cries out " **Dad**!" as he looks down at the wreckage.

"For your sake, I hope that wasn't the cavalry." Bojack taunts.

" **That's it**!" Gohan snarls. He flares up into Super Saiyan again and charges Bojack.

Bojack and his minions surround Gohan and attack him all at once.

Gohan's able to fight them all off for a little bit, even managing to punch Bido and kick Bujin away from himself at the same time, but Bojack uses that as an opening, kneeing Gohan in the gut hard enough to knock him out of Super Saiyan again, then Zangya slams him into the ground with both arms.

Tony feels the panic bubbling in him when he sees Gohan hit the ground. He shouts into his comm "Hurry the hell up Barton!" 

"I'm waiting for them to stop moving before I take the shot! We only get one chance at this!" Clint shouts back, while lining up his shot.

Bojack picks Gohan up and starts crushing him in a bear hug.

The armor Tony made Gohan starts to crumple under the pressure, pieces bending inward and stabbing into him while he feels his ribs begin to crack. He coughs up some blood and howls in pain while Bojack taunts him "How ironic that your father's death was the key to our escape. I so wanted to thank him personally, but now you'll have to do it for me."

Gohan's piercing wails of agony echo throughout the entire area until he passes out while Bojack just laughs and squeezes harder.

When the sound of his son's screams reach Tony, he blasts off toward him without a second thought, unable to take it anymore.

Clint curses under his breath when he sees Tony take off, and fires all the explosive arrows he has left.

Krillin senses Tony move, and takes off as well.

The arrows all land next to Bojack's feet and detonate. And while the explosion doesn't injure Bojack or any of his minions, it does distract them long enough for Tony to put all of the power Piccolo gave him into his fist and punch Bojack right in the face.

Completely caught off guard, the blow knocks Bojack off his feet and gets him to drop Gohan.

Tony pulls his boy into his arms at the moment Krillin flash steps right in front of all 4 enemies, holding his hands in front of his face as he yells " **Solar Flare**!" 

He unleashes a blinding light, and then follows Tony out of the area.

Bojack, Zangya, Bujin, and Bido all take the full brunt of Krillin's attack, squeezing their eyes shut to try and lessen the effects.

"Ugh! What was that!?" Bojack shouts.

Tony and Krillin get a decent distance away before landing.

"Gohan!? Gohan!? Are you ok kiddo!? Come on, talk to me!" Tony begs the the boy to respond.

Gohan slowly opens his eyes and stares up at Tony "D..dad, you're ok?"

Tony chuckles a bit "Besides the stress induced heart attack, I'm fine. More importantly, how are you?"

Tony puts Gohan down, keeping his arm over his shoulder incase he can't stay on his feet.

"They're gonna find us in no time, what do we do now?" Krillin asks Tony.

Tony sits Gohan down and powers up "We're gonna take them on ourselves."

Krillin pauses for a second, then screams "Are you insane!? With just the 2 of us, we'll be wiped out in seconds!"

Gohan gets back on his feet and protests "Krillin's right! I'll go back and take them down. I'll let my full power out and finish this!"

"No kid, I'm sick of having to watch you do this alone! I'm not going to let this fall on your shoulders! Besides, I know how going into that form affects you."

Gohan grabs Tony's arm "I'll keep it in control, I swear. I won't give in to the rage."

Tony sees the determination in Gohan's eyes and knows the boy is gonna do this, whether he likes it or not "Ok. I know you can do it kiddo, send these bastards packing."

Gohan nods and goes Super Saiyan again before powering up further "You both risked your lives to give me this chance, and I'm not going to let you down!"

He screams as he powers up more and more, until his hair spikes up and his aura starts giving off sparks of lightning, showing he finally went Super Saiyan 2.

Tony and Krillin stare at Gohan, and Krillin asks "Are you ok?"

Gohan meets their gaze and smiles "I'm alright, I promise. Now sit back and take it easy for a bit. This'll be over in a minute."

Gohan then flash steps over to Bojack's group, ready to end this.

The 4 stare at Gohan for a moment, all noticing the slight differences in the boy's form.

Gohan glares at them "I know your kind. You think you can waltz in and just take our planet!"

Bojack chuckles, clearly not sensing the difference in the boy's power now than from before.

"But you're not gonna have your way anymore!" Gohan declares, letting more of his power out, so much so the land they're standing on is shaking and cracking apart, emitting giant beams of golden light.

After calming the surge of power he just let loose, Gohan just calmly walks toward Bojack.

Seeming to finally realize something is different about Gohan, Bojack orders Bujin and Bido to trap him in their barrier again.

They comply, but it doesn't faze Gohan at all, he just continues walking toward Bojack until he decides to let off a little more power to destroy their barrier.

Gohan stops his advance and his aura flares up again, kicking up a cloud of snow and smoke.

Bujin and Bido try to use it as a smokescreen and charge Gohan, but when they get close enough, Gohan swipes his left arm out and cuts Bido in half, then swings his right leg at Bujin with the same result.

Their bodies drop to the ground and Gohan just keeps staring Bojack down.

Zangya takes a step back, the fear in her eyes obvious.

Gohan charges them both and Bojack shoves Zangya at him then throws a blast right through her, engulfing her entire body.

Gohan easily dodges the blast and tells Bojack "That was a bitch move."

Bojack starts laughing hysterically while charging another blast.

He launches it at Gohan, and the boy doesn't even bother to dodge it this time.

It hits and after the smoke clears, Bojack is horrified to see Gohan completely unharmed.

He shouts "I will kill you!" Then charges Gohan. But before Bojack can even throw a punch, Gohan drives his fist through his gut.

Bojack is frozen in shock as the pain sets in.

Gohan pulls his arm out of the hole in Bojack's gut and lets him catch his breath.

Bojack coughs up some blood and screams "Aghh! You fool!" Then asks Gohan "Any last words before you die!?" Before using both hands to charge another blast.

"Actually Bojack, there is one word that comes to mind." Gohan answers as he cups his hands to his side and starts charging a Kamehameha wave.

All the energy in the air brews up thunderclouds and lightning starts to randomly strike around the area.

" **KAMEHAMEHA**!" Gohan shouts as he and Bojack launch their attacks.

The beams collide and detonate, both fighters charge each other and Bojack is completely overwhelmed and annihilated by Gohan, his screams echo as all the energy disperses and the sky clears up.

Gohan drops back down to his base form, chuckles to himself, and immediately falls to the ground. He's victorious, but also unconscious. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm gonna try and get one more chapter out this month.


	23. Ready to Return to the Old Stomping Grounds?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The battle is over, but a different kind of conflict is right around the corner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to get this out before the end of May, but Arrow, Flash, and Legends' new seasons came out on Netflix and distracted me for a bit.

Chapter 23

* * *

As awareness slowly returns to Gohan, he tries to assess his condition.

Unsurprisingly, everything aches. His body hasn't been this banged up since he went through the portal that brought him here.

His eyes crack open and strain to adjust to the fluorescent lighting.

Gohan looks around the room he finds himself in, spotting Tony, slumped over, asleep in a chair next to his bed. Krillin sprawled out on a small couch at the edge of the room. And Piccolo, eyes closed, sitting cross-legged, floating a couple feet in the air near Krillin.

Gohan starts to chuckle, but it turns into a coughing fit.

Tony's eyes snap open as he startles awake, he's quickly by Gohan's side, holding a bottle of water in his reach. 

"Easy kiddo, easy. Take it slow." Tony tells him as he twists off the cap and hands him the water.

Gohan accepts the water and takes a few careful sips.

Krillin and Piccolo rush to Gohan's side as he moves to sit up.

"How are you feeling Gohan?" Krillin asks. 

Gohan smiles "I'm alright." not thinking twice about dismissing his injuries.

"The broken ribs and concussion would beg to differ squirt." Tony lightly scolds, pretty worried about seeing Gohan have such a nonchalant attitude about his wellbeing, and wondering if this is what Pepper, Rhodey, and Happy felt all these years when he was reckless with or disregarded his own health.

Gohan turns to Tony and tries to assure "I'm ok dad. It has been a little while, but I've had much worse than this before. You know that."

Yep, he definitely owes it to his friends, Pepper, and their boys to try to never do this again, it feels horrible being on the other side of it. Tony tries to smile, but it doesn't reach his eyes "Just because you have been through worse before, doesn't mean I'm gonna take you getting hurt like this lightly Gohan." 

Gohan can see the worry in Tony's eyes and decides to stop insisting he's fine "You're right. Sorry dad."

Tony smirks and ruffles Gohan's hair "No worries kiddo, it's not your fault."

Piccolo and Krillin just silently watch the exchange for a while before Krillin decides to ask "So Gohan, now that the imminent threat is gone, how about you bring us up to speed on what you've been doing since you got here?"

"Yes, it seems you've formed some strong bonds during the time it took us to get here." Piccolo adds, hoping the additional push will get Gohan to explain why he's calling someone other than Goku dad.

Gohan nods, having a pretty good idea what has his friends curious "I'll tell you everything, but before that, is everyone ok? Where are Bruce, Trunks, and Vegeta?"

"Everyone is fine Gohan." Krillin informs.

"Yeah, Bruce and the others have been treated, though they're all still out of it." Tony explains. 

Gohan sighs in relief, then asks "Where are we? And how long was I out?"

Before anyone can answer, the door to the room opens, and a couple of familiar faces come inside.

"Mr. Coulson, Bulma!" Gohan excitedly greets.

Coulson nods to Gohan while Bulma comes closer to the bed "It's great to see you alive and relatively well Gohan."

Gohan smirks "It's good to see you too Bulma." 

Coulson moves to the end of the bed and explains "I couldn't help but overhear your last question Gohan. We're in an emergency shelter near the facility that band of alien intruders destroyed. You and your friends have been resting here for a few hours."

Gohan nods and Tony motions for Coulson to continue.

"Unfortunately, those invaders were somehow able to transport Blonsky away from here before your team could arrive. So even though the main threat is over, we've still got a major problem out there."

"Why would they take Blonsky anyway?" Gohan wonders aloud.

Tony shrugs and gives his theory "I can't be certain since the surveillance was taken out before they did whatever it is they did with him, but I'm guessing our mystery enemy has him now."

"You think 'B' was responsible for this?" Gohan asks.

"That's the only explanation I could come up with. I mean, there's no way that Bojack was 'B', so I'm guessing he and his flunkies were working for him."

Gohan frowns, realizing Tony's probably right, but also that if it's true, 'B' is more dangerous than he originally thought, and it also raises a terrifying possibility about their origin "Yeah, I'm sure you're right about that. Bojack wasn't the type to play the kind of games 'B' has so far."

"Who's this 'B' you keep talking about?" Bulma asks.

Tony and Gohan explain to the others what they know about this enemy and what they've done so far that they're aware of.

"If it's someone from this Earth, how could they control beings as powerful as Bojack?" Piccolo asks.

Tony sees Gohan's face fall at that question. He puts his hand on his shoulder and asks "What's on your mind kiddo?"

Gohan hesitantly looks at Tony, and voices his theory "I don't think 'B' is from this Earth, or this universe. I think they're from the universe I came from."

Tony blinks at that "What makes you think that?"

Gohan explains "It's just a hunch. But Bojack's appearance here made me wonder. What if the portal Broly and I opened during our fight didn't only bring me and Goten here? Who's to say others weren't brought here as well? How else could Bojack and his minions end up here from King Kai's planet? Maybe more than one portal opened up that day and brought others to this world too."

Piccolo speaks up "If that's the case, then it'll be nearly impossible to find out if anymore dangerous beings ended up here." 

Gohan's expression mirrors one Tony has seen in himself sometimes since finding out what his weapons did to innocent people, which gives him a pretty good idea what the boy is thinking, so he tells him "Even if that's true, none of it is your fault Gohan. You know that right?"

Gohan doesn't really believe that, and the lives that were lost today, courtesy of Bojack, and the lives that can be lost in the future because of monsters he brought to this Earth is weighing heavily on his mind. But as terrible as he feels about that, he also can't regret ending up here. So he smiles and nods "Yeah, I know."

Tony can immediately tell Gohan is just saying that, but he drops the subject for now and asks everyone in the room "So now that the evildoers have been vanquished, and our heroes are on the mend, what's next?"

Gohan chuckles, and Coulson smirks at Tony's quip/question while Bulma suggests "Well, since senzu beans aren't an option right now, I figured we could go back to our Earth and get Dende to come heal everyone that was injured during the attack. Then we can try to find out more about this 'B' and if they were responsible for the disappearance of that awol inmate of yours."

Gohan smiles at the suggestion "It would be great to see Dende again."

Krillin smiles and tells Gohan "He'll definitely be happy to see you too. He was really worried about you and Goten...we all were."

Gohan turns back to Krillin "I'm sorry I worried everyone."

Bulma shakes her head "It's alright Gohan. The whole situation gave us all a scare, but now it's over and you and Goten can finally come back home."

At the mention of going back, Gohan and Tony both wince.

While Gohan is racking his brain trying to think of the best way to tell his oldest friends that he plans to stay here, Tony is wondering if Gohan will choose to go back to where he came from now that he has the option.

Piccolo notices both of their reactions, but before he can ask anything, Bulma claps her hands together "Ok. Piccolo, let's go to the lookout and get Dende. You're probably the only one who'll be able to convince Mr. Popo that our Earth will be fine without its guardian for an hour or 2."

Not even waiting for a response, Bulma grabs Piccolo by his cape and begins dragging him out of the the room.

Piccolo is so caught off guard, he momentarily forgets to question Gohan, and follows Bulma out of the room.

Gohan and Krillin chuckle a bit at the display. Tony normally would have too, but he's still lost in thought.

Gohan notices Tony's lack of reaction, and asks "Dad, are you ok?"

Tony startles a bit "Yeah...yeah. I'm good, just thinking."

"About what?" Gohan asks.

Tony can't bring himself to tell Gohan he's worried about the boys going back to their original home. Knowing Gohan, if the boy knew his worry, he wouldn't go, even if he wanted to, just to keep from upsetting him. So he quickly comes up with a white lie "I was just thinking I should go update Pepper and Happy on the situation here, maybe bring them and Goten here to meet everybody."

Gohan pauses at Tony's momentary hesitancy, but smiles at his suggestion "That sounds great. And once Dende heals everyone, I can show you guys around my old home."

Tony, wanting to be supportive despite his worry, smirks "Sounds fun little man." 

Tony stands and puts a hand on Gohan's shoulder "I'm gonna go give Pep a call, let her know I'm on my way to fly her, Happy, and Goten here."

Gohan nods and shifts to get out of bed "Alright, I'll come with."

Tony gently pushes him to lay back down "Nope, you're gonna rest up until your buddy comes over and fixes you up. I'll go get them and be back in a bit."

Gohan tries to protest, but Tony cuts him off "No dice kid. You chill here and catch up with your friends, I'll be back with everyone soon."

Curious to ask about Gohan's relationship with Tony, Krillin tells him "He's right Gohan. Let's just hang out and catch up while the others get everyone here."

Gohan nods and lays back down "Ok, I'll wait."

Tony smiles down at Gohan "Atta boy. I'll be back before you know it."

"I know your armor got heavily damaged. I can lend you a jet if you'd like." Coulson offers.

Tony nods to Coulson as he pulls out his phone and dials Pepper's number "Much appreciated Agent."

Coulson leads Tony out of the room, closing the door behind them, leaving Gohan and Krillin alone.

"Seems you've made some good friends here." Krillin tells Gohan.

Gohan smiles "Yeah, Goten and I were lucky to meet them when we ended up here."

Krillin can't think of a way to ask Gohan about why he calls Tony dad, so he just decides to ask "So what have you been up to since being brought here?"

Gohan chuckles "It's a long story."

As Gohan fills Krillin in on all that's happened in the near 10 months since coming to this world, Tony lets Pepper know he's on his way, takes Coulson up on his offer, borrows a jet, and flys back to the vacation spot his family was enjoying earlier in the day.

He lands as close to the island home as he can and as he disembarks from the jet, he spots Pepper with Goten in her arms, and Happy running toward him.

Pepper nearly crashes into Tony, and shifts Goten to one arm so she can hug Tony with the other "Tony, what happened!? Where's Gohan!?" 

Tony hugs Pepper back and assures her "Gohan's ok Pep. He and Bruce got banged up during the fight, but are now resting comfortably at a SHIELD shelter."

Before Pepper can ask any follow up questions, Goten starts grabbing at Tony "Dada!"

Tony chuckles and takes Goten into his arms.

Goten begins babbling and looks to be on the verge of tears "Dada...Bubba..Bwu..badbad."

"Shh, hey. Hey. We're all ok Monkey, I promise." Tony tries to reassure while rubbing circles on the baby's back.

"If Gohan got banged up, these guys must have been tough." Happy comments.

"How bad is it?" Pepper asks, needing to know the extent so she'll stop imagining the worst case scenario.

Tony looks back at them and answers "They were ridiculously tough. Gohan's got some broken ribs and a concussion."

Pepper gasps and Tony rushes to assure "He'll be better in no time Pep, I swear." 

"What do you mean? Those are serious injuries and will take time to heal." Pepper asks.

"Yeah, unless the kid's had one of those magic beans from his old home kept hidden all this time." Happy jokes.

"Actually, we've got the next best thing." Tony tells them, trying to sound upbeat.

Pepper and Happy both raise a brow, but before either can ask anything, Tony tells them "I'll explain on the way. Come on, let's head back, Gohan's waiting for us.

Pepper and Happy both nod, then they all go back inside the house, quickly get some supplies, load up into the jet, and take off.

Tony has JARVIS take over piloting the jet and gives Pepper and Happy the play by play on everything that happened in the battle, though he leaves out Bojack nearly killing Gohan.

While Pepper and Happy process everything, Tony withdraws into himself a bit as his mind unhelpfully replays the sound of Gohan's anguished screams from when Bojack was crushing his back.

Goten, who refused to leave Tony's arms since the man returned, seems to notice his distress and starts trying to get his attention "Dada."

Tony snaps out of his haze when he feels tiny hands pawing at his face.

He looks down at Goten, pats his back, and smiles "I'm ok Monkey."

Goten smiles up at Tony while Pepper speaks up "So Gohan's friends from his original home found a way to get here."

Tony tries to shove his mixed feelings on that subject to the back of his mind and replies "Yeah, that Bulma is a brilliant scientist. Though she had divine help from those Kais, so I wont let the fact she pulled it off when I couldn't bruise my ego too much."

Even though Pepper and Happy both see through Tony's deflection, they chuckle at his quip. They're also working out how they feel about this.

They spend the rest of the flight in semi comfortable silence until JARVIS alerts them to they're arrival and lands the jet.

They disembark and Tony leads them back to where Gohan is resting.

As soon as they enter the room, Pepper rushes to Gohan's bedside "Oh Gohan, how are you feeling? Are you in any pain?"

Gohan lets Pepper fuss over him for a bit before answering "I'm alright mom. And I'll be back to 100% soon. Bulma and Piccolo brought Dende. Once he's finished healing the injured agents, he'll heal me, Bruce, Trunks, and Vegeta."

Tony steps over next to Pepper "That's good to hear kiddo."

As soon as Tony gets close enough to the bed, Goten starts squirming in his arms and reaches for Gohan "Bubba!"

Pepper and Tony laugh as Tony places Goten on the bed.

Goten crawls into Gohan's lap and looks up at him "Bubba owie?"

Gohan smiles down at his brother, raps an arm around him, and tells him "Yeah, it was a big owie, but I'll be ok."

Goten seems to accept that answer and gets himself comfortably situated in Gohan's lap.

Gohan chuckles at his brother's antics, then chats with his parents and Happy until Krillin comes back to the room with Dende in tow.

"Gohan!" The young namekian cries as he runs across the room, unable to contain his excitement at seeing his friend after so long.

"Dende!" Gohan happily greets his friend, feeling a similar joy as his friend, the only thing that stopped him from jumping out of the bed is a warning stare from Pepper when he tried.

Dende immediately gets to work healing Gohan, and once the glow from his hands fade, Gohan removes the bandages wrapped around his head and the bind around his chest.

"Are you all better now?" Pepper asks, even though she's seen Dende's abilities in action in Gohan's memory recordings, she won't stop worrying until she knows for sure.

To answer her, Gohan moves Goten off his lap, jumps out of the bed, and does some practice punches and kicks while in midair.

Tony chuckles "I think that's a yes." Seeing Gohan fully recovered easing some of the guilt he can't seem to shake.

Gohan stops and nods "Yep, I'm all better now. Thanks a lot Dende."

"You're welcome Gohan." Dende replies. "I already healed Trunks, Vegeta, your other friend, and all of the other injured people."

"That's great." Gohan responds.

"We appreciate it Green Bean." Tony tells Dende.

Pepper elbows Tony in the side while Dende tilts his head in confusion at the nickname "Um...no problem sir."

"Oh thats right, this is your first time meeting." Gohan remembers. So he introduces them "Dende, meet Tony Stark, Pepper Potts, and Happy Hogan."

Dende bows his head "It's nice to meet you all."

Tony, Pepper, and Happy all return the greeting, then Krillin tells everyone "If you're all ready, Bulma, Piccolo, Trunks, Vegeta, and your other friend are waiting for us."

Gohan picks Goten up from the bed and tells Krillin "Sure, lead the way."

Everyone follows Krillin out of the room and into what looks like a lab.

Gohan spots Bruce chatting with Bulma and Trunks and heads toward them.

Bruce notices Gohan, Tony, and the others approaching and greets them "Glad to see you all back on your feet."

"Back at you Brucie-bear." Tony replies as he claps Bruce on the shoulder.

Just like when he first saw Tony and Gohan again, Goten begins squirming in Gohan's arms and reaching for Bruce "Bwu!"

Bruce looks down at Goten and smiles "Hey buddy."

Goten keeps reaching for Bruce while the man stares in confusion.

Tony tries to keep the amusement out of his tone as he tells Bruce "I don't think he's gonna be satisfied until you pick him up so he can give you a checkup."

Bruce raises an eyebrow but can't suppress a chuckle, knowing that it's best to just go along with it.

Even though he knows deep down that Hulk wouldn't hurt the baby, he still hesitates a bit before lifting him into his arms.

Goten begins patting at Bruce's face "Bwu?"

Bruce gives Goten a warm smile "I'm all better little one."

Goten smiles back, then places a hand on Bruce's forehead "Huk?"

Bruce feels Hulk's presence flare up in the back of his mind for a moment.

Goten giggles and Bruce shifts him to one arm and perches him on his hip "Hulk's ok too.

Bulma approaches the group and offers her hand to Tony "Now that everyone's healed, I can finally do some tech talk with you Mr. Stark. I was examining the remains of your armor from the fight, it's pretty impressive."

Tony smirks and shakes her hand "Thank you. Though from what I know about you from Gohan, your quite the engineer yourself Ms. Brief. Those capsules of yours have been a godsend."

Before they can go into a deeper discussion, Vegeta seems to finally lose his patience "Enough of this drivel! We found Kakarot's brats, let's get out of here already!"

Tony rolls his eyes and does an over exaggerated bow "My sincerest apologies your majesty, not a fan of stimulating conversations I see."

Everyone, even Trunks and Piccolo crack up at that, much to Vegeta's annoyance.

"Don't test me earthling!" Vegeta warns Tony.

"Oh lighten up Vegeta, he's just kidding. " Bulma tries to soothe.

"Of course." Tony says before turning back to Bruce and Gohan and rolling his eyes, getting another chuckle out of the boy.

Vegeta just grumbles to himself a bit before Piccolo speaks up "We should head back soon, get Dende back to the lookout."

Bulma nods and pulls a gun shaped device out of her pocket "Yeah, Mr. Popo is probably getting anxious for Dende to come back, we can come back here whenever needed."

She aims the gun at a wall and fires it.

A hole just like the one Tony saw the boy's fall out of opens up and just floats there.

Vegeta immediately walks into to it and disappears.

Piccolo leads Dende over to it, and they both vanish as well.

Trunks waves a hand at the remaining group, then goes into the portal.

"Are you ready to come home Gohan?" Bulma asks.

Tony, Pepper, Happy, and Bruce all look at Gohan to see how he answers.

Gohan notices their stares, and realizes what they might be wondering about.

He quickly links himself to them and telepathically assures 'As long as you're all willing to have Goten and me, this is our home now.'

Bruce and Happy smirk, while Tony and Pepper try their hardest to keep their shoulders from sagging in relief, wanting to avoid outwardly reacting. 

'Kiddo, you don't even have to ask.' Tony tells him.

'That's right Gohan.' Pepper confirms before asking 'When are you gonna tell them?'

'I'll explain it to Grandpa separately, then I'll tell the others after.' Gohan replies, then answers Bulma aloud "Yeah, let's go."

Bulma smiles, then asks the rest of the group "Would you like to come along?"

Happy elects to stay behind to let Rhodey know everything that's happened while Tony, Pepper, and Bruce go with Gohan.

Bulma hands Happy an oval shaped device, telling him it's a beacon he can trigger an alarm inside the portal gun if needed, that will also act as their return point.

Happy waves goodbye to the group while Bulma and Krillin lead Gohan with Goten in his arms, Tony, Pepper, and Bruce through the portal.

As they go through the portal, Gohan, while excited to see his Grandpa and the rest of his old friends, is also worried how they'll all take his decision.

As the familiar view of the lookout appears before his eyes, Gohan ponders to himself 'What's the worst that can happen?'

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first attempt at fanfiction, and writing in general, so please be gentle with me, but also any advice for helping me with my writing is welcome and appreciated. The story will for the most part follow the mcu timeline just with my favorite Dbz characters shoved in to see what happens .
> 
> The MCU and Dragon Ball time-lines in this story are going be a bit off from what they are in canon, they'll be what I thought they were until I found out otherwise. 
> 
> MCU Timeline: 2008 Ironman and Hulk. 2010 Ironman 2. 2011 Thor. 2012 Avengers. 2013 Ironman 3. 2014 Thor Darkworld, Captain America Winter Soldier, Guardians of the Galaxy 1 and 2. 2015 Avengers Age of Ultron, Antman. 2016 Captain America Civil War, Doctor Strange, Black Panther. 2016-2017 Spiderman Homecoming. 2017 Thor Ragnarok. 2018 Antman and the Wasp, Avengers Infinity War.
> 
> The Dragon Ball timeline will be the same as canon except the time between the end of the Buu saga and the Battle of Gods in this will be 6 months instead of 4 years. When Super first came subbed it said 6 months had passed since Buu but later it was said that was a mistranslation. But since Goten Trunks and Marron don't seem to age in that time I'm sticking with 6 months for this story.


End file.
